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The
Queen was dressed in what was described by Buckingham Palace as a 'spring grass
green' wool and silk weave coat and dress with hat to match adorned with
flowers by her dressmaker Angela Kelly for her birthday appearance on the sunny
but chilly day
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The Queen has celebrated
her 90th birthday by greeting well-wishers outside Windsor Castle.
Press
Association report continues:
Hundreds
of royal fans cheered the monarch as she stepped from her car in front of the
Henry VIII gate.
Her
arrival was marked by a rendition of Happy Birthday by the Band of the
Coldstream Guards.
Born
Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary of York on April 21 1926 - the year of the
General Strike - she was never expected to be Queen.
But
she has become the longest reigning and oldest monarch in British history - and
now the first to reach 90.
The
Queen spent the morning of her birthday in private at her much-loved Berkshire
castle - the family home of the nation's sovereigns for more than 1,000 years.
She
went on to mark her special day by carrying out public duties, including
opening a walkway created in her honour and carrying out a walkabout through
Windsor town.
Hundreds
of royal fans, waving flags and clutching flowers, packed the streets to catch
a glimpse of the birthday Queen.
She
was accompanied by her husband of more than 68 years, the Duke of Edinburgh,
who himself turns 95 in June.
Tributes
being paid to the monarch illustrate how much technology has changed during her
long reign.
Prime
Minister David Cameron tweeted: "The whole country will want to wish the
Queen a happy birthday today - she has been a rock of strength for our
nation."
Twitter
was only a month old a decade ago on the monarch's 80th, while the first public
demonstration of a television came in 1926 - the year she was born.
An
official photograph of the Queen surrounded by her five great-grandchildren,
including Prince George and Princess Charlotte, and her two youngest
grandchildren has been taken to mark the occasion.
Taken
by celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz, it shows the sovereign holding her
youngest great-grandchild Charlotte in her arms.
The
Queen is also pictured with her corgis and dorgis, and in a third picture with
her only daughter the Princess Royal.
In
the evening, the Queen will light a beacon in Windsor, beginning the first in a
chain of more than 1,000 that will spread across the country and the globe.
The
Prince of Wales will pay tribute to his mother in a speech, before hosting a
lavish private dinner for her family and friends in the castle.
During
her 64-year reign the monarch has been served by 12 prime ministers from Sir
Winston Churchill to David Cameron, while Barack Obama, who will drop in for
lunch on Friday, is the 12th US president to hold office over the same period.
Over
the decades, Britain has undergone major transformations from technological
advances like computers and supersonic flight to developments in society and
the political landscape.
Her
personal life has brought her happiness in her children, grandchildren and
great-grandchildren.
But
she endured an ''annus horribilis'' in 1992, the year Charles separated from
wife Diana, the Duke of York split from Sarah, and the Princess Royal divorced
Captain Mark Phillips.
She
was born on April 21 1926 in a townhouse in London's Mayfair, the first child
of the Duke of York, later King George VI.
Her
destiny was changed with the abdication of her uncle, Edward VIII, for the
woman he loved - American divorcee Wallis Simpson.
Famously
the Queen dedicated her life to her future role as monarch on her 21st birthday
- vowing to serve the Commonwealth by saying: ''I declare before you all that
my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service
and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.''
A
rendition of Happy Birthday erupted from the crowds as the hundreds of well
wishers first caught sight of the Queen.
She
was dressed in what was described by Buckingham Palace as a "spring grass
green" wool and silk weave coat and dress with hat to match adorned with
flowers by her dressmaker Angela Kelly for her birthday appearance on the sunny
but chilly day.
Members
of the public joined in to sing Happy Birthday as the guards' band in their red
tunics and bearskin hats trumpeted out the tune.
The
public added their own informality to the occasion when some inserted the words
"Happy Birthday dear Queenie" into the song.
At
the foot of Castle Hill, the sovereign walked past the imposing statue of her
great great grandmother Queen Victoria - the very ancestor she eclipsed as the
UK's longest-reigning monarch last September.
She
stopped frequently to collect an abundance of bouquets.
The
Queen remarked that it was a "lovely day" as she unveiled a plaque
marking The Queen's Walkway at the foot of Castle Hill during her walkabout.
Hugo
Vickers, of The Outdoor Trust, showed the sovereign the plaque which was
temporarily standing on the main road through the town centre.
Mr
Vickers said: "She was terribly happy with the beautiful weather and the
lovely occasion.
"She
said it was a lovely day."
He
added that "she loved the panel. Prince Philip said it wouldn't last long
if we left it there."
The
Queen's Walkway is a 6.3km (4 mile) self-guided trail - mapped out with bronze
EIIR crested markers connecting 63 points of significance in the town of
Windsor - such as the castle's Henry VIII Gate and the Guildhall where the
Prince of Wales married the Duchess of Cornwall in 2005.
It
was designed by The Outdoor Trust to symbolically recognize the moment that
Elizabeth II became Britain's longest reigning monarch on September 9 2015
after more than 63 years on the throne.
It
was a walkabout which also turned into a royal drive-by, when the Queen
delighted the crowds by travelling standing up in a review car.
As
a finale, she slowly travelled down the street and a side road in the
highly-polished burgundy vehicle, smiling and waving to the hundreds of members
of the public.
She last used the car for a review of the Royal Regiment of Wales in the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff last year.
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