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Britain's Queen Elizabeth, the world's oldest monarch, turns 95 on Wednesday, but there will be no public celebrations just days after she bade farewell to her husband of seven decades at his funeral.
Above, Queen Elizabeth II smiles as she takes a walkabout during a visits the Haig Housing Trust in Morden, south-west London, to open their new veteran housing development in 2019.
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Prince Philip, whom Elizabeth married in 1947, died on April 9 at the age of 99. The royals paid their final respects to the family's patriarch at his funeral on Saturday at Windsor Castle. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, the queen sat alone during the sombre service for Philip, who she had described as her "strength and stay".
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In this Thursday, June, 16, 2011 file photo, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II with Prince Philip arrive by horse drawn carriage in the parade ring at the of the Royal Ascot horse race meeting at Ascot, England. Now that the Royal Family has said farewell to Prince Philip, attention will turn to Queen Elizabeth II’s 95th birthday on Wednesday, April 21, 2021 and, in coming months, the celebrations marking her 70 years on the throne. This combination of events is reminding the United Kingdom that the reign of the queen, the only monarch most of her subjects have ever known, is finite.
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Britain's Princess Elizabeth and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh wave to the crowds on their wedding day, from the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London in 1947.
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Elizabeth, who is also the world's longest-reigning monarch, will be at the castle for her birthday, which traditionally passes off with little or no ceremony.However, this year, with the royals marking two weeks of mourning, there will be no gun salutes at the Tower of London or the capital's Hyde park which usually occur on the queen's birthday. "I was at the funeral on Saturday, her Majesty was, as always, more concerned with other people than herself, and she will be on her birthday," Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, told Reuters.
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Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, both in uniform, on a balcony at Buckingham Palace in London on June, 13, 1964.
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Newspapers have suggested that family members would be visiting the queen over the coming days to ensure she would not be left alone while mourning her late husband. A Buckingham Palace spokesman declined to comment, saying all family matters after the funeral would be private. Elizabeth was born on April 21, 1926, in Bruton Street, central London. She ascended to the throne in 1952 at the age of 25, and surpassed her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria as Britain's longest-reigning monarch in September, 2015.
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In this file photo taken on June 09, 2018 , members of the Royal Family (L-R) Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, Britain's Princess Anne, Princess Royal, Britain's Princess Beatrice of York, Britain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Britain's Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (with Princess Charlotte and Prince George) and Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch a fly-past of aircraft by the Royal Air Force. - Queen Elizabeth II's record-breaking reign has been marked by a commitment to duty despite personal setbacks, but the death of her husband will put that stoicism to the ultimate test. The 94-year monarch now faces the twilight of her reign without her most trusted advisor and personal confidant, raising questions about how she will cope in running a family mired
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Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, is shown around 'Back to Nature' by Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge at the Chelsea Flower Show in London, Britain May 20, 2019.
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Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, and Prince Philip take a salute as the Guards march past outside Buckingham Palace after the Trooping The Color parade at Horse Guards Parade in London, 2012. Trooping the Colour is an annual ceremony marking the queen's official birthday, which takes place in June.
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Queen Elizabeth II smiles during a visit to Wolferton Pumping Station in Norfolk, east of England, where she officially opened the new station.
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2006 file photo of Queen Elizabeth II sitting in the Regency Room at Buckingham Palace in London looking at some of the cards which have been sent to her for her 80th birthday.
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Britain's Queen Elizabeth II arrives for the funeral of Britain's Prince Philip, who died at the age of 99, at St George's Chapel, in Windsor, Britain, April 17, 2021.
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Queen Elizabeth II attends the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph on Whitehall in central London in 2020.
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