It was a family affair on Monday as Princes William and Harry, joined by the Duchess of Cambridge, headed to Windsor Castle to kick off the Queen’s 70th anniversary celebrations.
The Queen’s grandsons and Kate could be seen arriving by car at the Queen’s second home where celebrations of her wedding anniversary will be held this evening.
William, 35, and Harry , 33, looked their dapper best in black tie complete with traditional dickie bows and pocket handkerchiefs.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge joined Prince Harry for the Queen’s 70th anniversary celebrations at Windsor Castle on Monday evening
Clearly not wanting to miss a moment of the celebrations William could be seen wearing his glasses as he rode in the back of the royal car.
Squeezed between the two princes was Kate, 35, who had wrapped up against the elements in a black wool coat as she arrived at the castle.
While her evening attire could not be seen the Duchess had clearly gone to every effort to preen and prep with her famous brunette locks coiffed to perfection.
Not present for this evening’s proceedings is Prince Harry’s girlfriend Meghan Markle who is rumoured to be in London but clearly not attending this evening.
The family will be attending a special dinner in celebration of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh’s milestone anniversary.
The royals, who were dressed in black tie, are heading for a special dinner at the castle to mark the monarch’s milestone anniversary
Earlier today Her Majesty presented the Duke with a rare honour as a special anniversary present as they celebrate 70 years of marriage.
As the royal couple reached their platinum wedding anniversary, the monarch appointed Philip a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) for services to the sovereign.
The touching gesture will be seen as the Queen’s recognition of the devotion Philip has shown through the decades, supporting her publicly and privately.
Philip, 96, retired from his public role in the summer after years of royal duty alongside the monarch.
He is the longest serving royal consort in British history, and the Queen, the nation’s longest reigning monarch, is the first to celebrate a 70th wedding anniversary.
Awards in the Royal Victorian Order are made personally by the Queen and bestowed independently of Downing Street.
The monarch presented Philip with the honour at Windsor Castle, where they are marking their anniversary privately.
They are celebrating with close family and friends at a special dinner at the Berkshire residence on Monday evening.
Philip is already a Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter (KG), a Knight of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle (KT) and a Knight Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (GBE)
Now with his GCVO he will have four UK order of chivalry breast stars. The last UK citizen to equal this was his uncle Lord Mountbatten of Burma.
Philip also has many other honours including the Order of Merit (OM), Order of New Zealand (ONZ), and Knight, Order of Australia (AK).
The Queen was a 21-year-old princess when she married her consort Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten on November 20 1947 at Westminster Abbey.
The fairy-tale royal wedding was a morale booster in the tough years that followed the Second World War and millions of people tuned in to listen to the ceremony on the wireless.
The young princess wore a Norman Hartnell dress made of duchesse ivory silk-satin which was hand-embroidered with more than 10,000 pearls and crystals.
Wartime leader Winston Churchill summed up the occasion as “a flash of colour on the hard road we travel”.
Less than five years after the royal wedding, the Princess became Queen on the death of her father George VI.
Together, the Queen and Philip have celebrated the Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees of the Queen’s reign, and faced ups and downs over the years including the breakdown of three of their four children’s marriages, and the backlash which followed the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.
With their family growing year by year, the Queen and Philip are preparing to welcome their sixth great-grandchild in April – a third child for the the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
They already have five great-grandchildren – Savannah and Isla Phillips, Mia Tindall, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, as well as eight grandchildren – Peter and Zara Phillips, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn, and their own four children the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex.
Bells at the historic Abbey in central London have rung out in tribute on Monday, with a full celebratory peal lasting around three hours and 20 minutes.
The Queen and Philip attended thanksgiving services at the Abbey to commemorate their silver, golden and diamond wedding anniversaries, but this occasion is not being marked which such a service.
Prime Minister Theresa May sent her congratulations to couple on their “special” anniversary, while other messages came from the Women’s Institute, of which the Queen has been a member longer than she has been married to the Duke, joining the Sandringham branch as a princess in 1943.
In 2007 on their 60th anniversary, the Queen bestowed the Royal Victorian Chain upon the Duke as a sign of her affection.
A series of portraits of the Queen and Philip taken by British photographer Matt Holyoak was released to mark the platinum anniversary.
The portraits show the monarch wearing a yellow gold, ruby and diamond scarab brooch, given as a personal gift from Philip to the Queen in 1966.