Prince William leads messages on the Queen’s 94th Birthday

Poignant private home videos of the Queen playing with her younger sister Margaret were released by the Royal Family today to celebrate the monarch turning 94.

The touching archive films from the Royal Collection Trust reveal candid memories of the two sisters growing up and provide a rare insight into family life for the Queen as a young Princess Elizabeth.

The clips – sure to help boost the country’s mood during the coronavirus pandemic – show Elizabeth playing with a pram as a toddler, on a seesaw and playing in a garden and dancing on a yacht with Margaret.

In a strong display of unity, Prince William, Kate Middleton and Prince Charles led tributes for the monarch after a turbulent week for the Royal Family in which Prince Harry and Meghan Markle decided to withdraw all forms of co-operation from many of the country’s most popular news titles. 

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are likely to issue their birthday message to the Queen later today, due to the time difference where they are now based in Los Angeles, which is eight hours behind London.

Clarence House released four photographs of the Queen with Charles and his wife Camilla over the years, while Kensington Palace put out a picture of Kate and William with the monarch at the Chelsea Flower Show last May. 

Captain Tom Moore wished the Queen a happy birthday from his Bedfordshire home as he was flooded with cards ahead of his centenary – and his daughter said her heart is ‘bursting’ over the £27million he has raised for the NHS. 

The Queen is marking her birthday away from her family as the lockdown continues. She is with her husband of 72 years, the Duke of Edinburgh, at Windsor Castle in Berkshire with a reduced household for their protection.

Aides have been planning to set-up Zoom video calls to mark the celebration instead, allowing the Queen’s children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to wish her a happy birthday.  

With the UK in lockdown and thousands dead from the coronavirus outbreak, there will be no birthday gun salutes. The Queen decided the celebratory display of military firepower would not be ‘appropriate’ at this time.

Usually a 21-gun salute is fired by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery from either Hyde Park or Green Park, followed by a 62-gun salute at the Tower of London by the Honourable Artillery Company. 

The footage released by the Royal Family today shows a young Princess Elizabeth and her sister Margaret dancing on a yacht 

Touching archive film, from the Royal Collection Trust, shows the monarch as a child - released to mark her 94th birthday

Touching archive film, from the Royal Collection Trust, shows the monarch as a child – released to mark her 94th birthday

The Queen and Margaret are seen playing in a garden together in their younger years

The Queen and Margaret are seen playing in a garden together in their younger years

The video from the Royal Collection Trust also shows a young Princess Elizabeth playing with a pram as a toddler

The video from the Royal Collection Trust also shows a young Princess Elizabeth playing with a pram as a toddler

Elizabeth and Margaret play on a seesaw in a garden when they were young children, in one of the clips released today

Elizabeth and Margaret play on a seesaw in a garden when they were young children, in one of the clips released today

Princess Elizabeth smiles for the camera while on a horse in a video filmed during her childhood

Princess Elizabeth smiles for the camera while on a horse in a video filmed during her childhood

The series of video clips of Elizabeth as a girl were released today to mark the monarch's 94th birthday

The series of video clips of Elizabeth as a girl were released today to mark the monarch’s 94th birthday

The Queen has two birthdays – the day she was born in April and her official one in June, which is celebrated with the Trooping the Colour ceremony, but this has been cancelled in its traditional form this year.    

Kensington Palace wished the Queen a ‘very happy 94th Birthday’, and shared a picture of Prince William and Kate Middleton with the monarch at the Chelsea Flower Show.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall’s Twitter account also sent its birthday wishes, with a collection of touching archive photos of Charles and his mother. 

The royal family are, like the rest of the country, staying away from one another as they follow the social distancing rules amid the pandemic.

Captain Tom Moore wished the Queen a happy birthday from his Bedfordshire home as he was flooded with cards ahead of his centenary - and his daughter said her heart is 'bursting' over the £27million he has raised for the NHS. His message said:  'Happy Birthday your majesty. With the highest regards, Captain Tom Moore'

Captain Tom Moore wished the Queen a happy birthday from his Bedfordshire home as he was flooded with cards ahead of his centenary – and his daughter said her heart is ‘bursting’ over the £27million he has raised for the NHS. His message said:  ‘Happy Birthday your majesty. With the highest regards, Captain Tom Moore’

Kensington Palace wished the Queen a 'very happy 94th Birthday', and shared a picture of Prince William and Kate Middleton with the monarch at the Chelsea Flower Show

Kensington Palace wished the Queen a ‘very happy 94th Birthday’, and shared a picture of Prince William and Kate Middleton with the monarch at the Chelsea Flower Show 

Prince Charles is presented with the runners-up prize by his mother, the Queen, following his team's defeat in the Silver Jubilee Cup match against France at Windsor Great Park on July 24, 1988 (the image was shared as part of the Clarence House tribute this morning)

Prince Charles is presented with the runners-up prize by his mother, the Queen, following his team’s defeat in the Silver Jubilee Cup match against France at Windsor Great Park on July 24, 1988 (the image was shared as part of the Clarence House tribute this morning) 

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall's Twitter account also sent its birthday wishes, with a collection of touching archive photos of Charles and his mother

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall’s Twitter account also sent its birthday wishes, with a collection of touching archive photos of Charles and his mother

Prince Charles and Camilla also wishes the Queen birthday best wishes on their Clarence House social media channels this morning

Prince Charles and Camilla also wishes the Queen birthday best wishes on their Clarence House social media channels this morning

Clarence House shared a selection of images from across the monarch's reign. Included among them was this image of Her Majesty and the Duchess of Cornwall at Royal Ascot last year

Clarence House shared a selection of images from across the monarch’s reign. Included among them was this image of Her Majesty and the Duchess of Cornwall at Royal Ascot last year

Queen Elizabeth II with her baby Prince Charles in the grounds of Windlesham Moor, country home in Surrey. The image was shared as part of the Clarence House tribute this morning

Queen Elizabeth II with her baby Prince Charles in the grounds of Windlesham Moor, country home in Surrey. The image was shared as part of the Clarence House tribute this morning 

Philip, 98, made his first major public statement on Monday since he retired nearly three years ago, thanking key workers including refuse collectors and postal staff for keeping essential services running during the Covid-19 outbreak. 

The couple’s eldest son the Prince of Wales, who has recovered from the Covid-19 illness, is at Birkhall in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, with the Duchess of Cornwall, while the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex are all in their own separate homes around the country.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are staying at Anmer Hall, Norfolk, with their three children, while the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who have quit as working royals, are thousands of miles away in Los Angeles.

A Buckingham Palace source said the Queen’s birthday will not be marked in any special way, adding that any phone or video calls she has with family will be kept private.

The British Army was among the first to pay tribute to the monarch on its social media channels today

The Royal Air Force also paid tribute this morning. It shared a selection of images from Royal visits over the years

The British Army was among the first to pay tribute to the monarch on its social media channels today. The Royal Air Force also paid tribute this morning. It shared a selection of images from Royal visits over the years

The All on the board Twitter account shared a message to The Queen

Tributes were paid on Twitter from across the country including from Andrea Leadsom MP (above and below)

MPs including Andrea Leadsom paid tribute to the Queen on social media today. The All on the board Twitter account also shared an image for the Queen this morning

Former royal press secretary Dickie Arbiter wished Her Majester a Happy Birthday this morning. Others also shared their best wishes (below)

Happy birthday tweets

Former royal press secretary Dickie Arbiter wished Her Majester a Happy Birthday this morning. Others also shared their best wishes

A large Royal Standard flies over Windsor Castle where the Queen celebrates her 94th birthday in isolation

A large Royal Standard flies over Windsor Castle where the Queen celebrates her 94th birthday in isolation

It is expected Royals will gather on a Zoom video call to with the Queen a Happy Birthday. Last year, 16 members of the royal family were able to visit Her Majesty to mark her birthday – but the current restrictions mean video and phone calls will have to be used instead. 

Writer and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth put on a special jumper to with the Queen a Happy Birthday today. He also read out a poem in a video on his Twitter account

Writer and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth put on a special jumper to with the Queen a Happy Birthday today. He also read out a poem in a video on his Twitter account

The Royal Family has already been active on Zoom during the lockdown, with Prince William and Kate Middleton enjoying conversations with school children and an interview with the BBC. 

They also revealed how they had been checking on the other royals, including the Queen and Prince Charles, through video calls.  

Kate said the family had been through ‘ups and downs’ during the lockdown ‘like lots of families’ since it was imposed on March 23, but they had stayed in touch with other family members using video conferencing apps.

The bells of Westminster Abbey – the church where the monarch was married and crowned – will also stay silent on her birthday for the first time in more than a decade. 

The monarch has also said Government buildings will be exempt from flying flags if it creates a problem. 

The abbey is currently closed, meaning the celebratory peal which has taken place in her honour on her actual birthday – April 21 – every year since 2007, will not be able to go ahead, the abbey told the PA news agency.

‘We are unable to ring our bells as the church is currently closed. So, it will be a virtual happy birthday this year via the abbey’s social media channels,’ a spokeswoman for the central London church said.

The Queen – the nation’s longest reigning monarch – has been a source of stability during the crisis.

In a televised address to the nation, she stressed the country will overcome the virus, telling Britons: ‘We will meet again.’

She also delivered what was believed to be her first Easter address, with the resolute message: ‘We know that coronavirus will not overcome us.’

The royal family’s Instagram Stories shared facts and photos about the Queen’s childhood as part of activities for parents who are homeschooling to coincide with the week of her birthday.

Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born at 2.40am on April 21 1926.

She was the first child of the then-Duke and Duchess of York, later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was born by caesarean section at 17 Bruton Street, the Mayfair home of her mother’s parents, the Earl and Countess of Strathmore.

She was never expected to be a monarch when she was born, but the abdication of her uncle Edward VIII in 1936 put her father on the throne, and changed her destiny.

She wed Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten in 1947, and became Queen at the age of 25 when George VI died from lung cancer in 1952.

Elizabeth II, who has been monarch for more than 68 years, is Head of State, the Armed Forces and the Commonwealth.

She is less than two years away from her platinum jubilee of 70 years on the throne.

The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery firing a 41 Gun Royal Salute to mark Queen Elizabeth II's 93rd birthday in Hyde Park, London last year. There will be no gun salutes this year

The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery firing a 41 Gun Royal Salute to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s 93rd birthday in Hyde Park, London last year. There will be no gun salutes this year

In her 2019 Christmas message, she acknowledged the ‘bumpy’ path her family, and the country amid Westminster’s bitter Brexit battles, had experienced during the past 12 months.

During 2019, the Sussexes spoke about their struggles living in the public eye, and the Queen’s second son Andrew gave a disastrous television interview about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and stepped down from public duties.

The monarch spent the first weeks of 2020 dealing with the fallout from Megxit – Harry and Meghan’s bombshell decision to quit as senior royals, which ultimately led to them walking away from the monarchy completely in March.

The Queen has witnessed many turbulent times during her reign, but even she confessed of the global Covid-19 pandemic: ‘While we have faced challenges before, this one is different.’

Captain Tom Moore wishes the Queen a happy 94th birthday as he is flooded with 25,000 cards ahead of turning 100 – as his daughter says her ‘heart is bursting’ over his £27m for the NHS 

Captain Tom Moore has wished the Queen a happy 94th birthday as he himself is flooded with cards ahead of his centenary – and his daughter said her heart is ‘bursting’ over the £27million he raised for the NHS.

The World War Two veteran, who crowdfunded the sum by walking lengths of his garden in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire, sent out a message to the monarch saying: ‘Happy Birthday your majesty… With the highest regards, Captain Tom Moore’.

Captain Tom will himself turn 100 on April 30 – and the South Midlands Mail Centre in Northampton has already dealt with more than 25,000 birthday cards sent to him, with no doubt more to come before the day itself.  

Staff at the mail centre have now reprogrammed sorting machines to separate Captain Tom’s mail into a dedicated collection box, and are now expecting to deal with hundreds of thousands of cards and letters in the next few days.   

Captain Tom Moore pictured with his daughters. Lucy Teixeira (left) said she 'just can't believe what has happened' following her father's fundraising (right: Hannah Ingram-Moore)

Captain Tom Moore pictured with his daughters. Lucy Teixeira (left) said she ‘just can’t believe what has happened’ following her father’s fundraising (right: Hannah Ingram-Moore)

British World War II veteran Captain Tom Moore, 99, with his walking frame doing a lap of his garden in the village of Marston Moretaine, 50 miles north of London

British World War II veteran Captain Tom Moore, 99, with his walking frame doing a lap of his garden in the village of Marston Moretaine, 50 miles north of London

The Queen is marking her birthday with her husband of 72 years, the Duke of Edinburgh (pictured in 2018), at Windsor Castle in Berkshire with a reduced household for their protection

The Queen is marking her birthday with her husband of 72 years, the Duke of Edinburgh (pictured in 2018), at Windsor Castle in Berkshire with a reduced household for their protection

Captain Tom’s daughter Lucy Teixeira said she ‘just can’t believe what has happened’ following her father’s fundraising, telling BBC Breakfast: ‘My heart is bursting… Well done, Daddy.’

She added: ‘I’m having to get used to the thought of sharing you with millions and millions of people.’ 

Stephen James, the manager at the centre receiving thousands of cards for the veteran, told the BBC: ‘None of the team have ever known one person receive so much mail.’ 

It comes as Britain’s coronavirus death toll passes 16,500, with more than 100 healthcare workers dying with the infection. 

The Queen is marking her birthday with her husband of 72 years, the Duke of Edinburgh, at Windsor Castle in Berkshire with a reduced household for their protection. 

War hero Captain Moore is pictured with his two daughters Lucy and Hannah in a post on his Twitter account

War hero Captain Moore is pictured with his two daughters Lucy and Hannah in a post on his Twitter account

He was posted to India where he fought in the Arakan Campaign of 1942-3, when the Allies pushed back against the Japanese in Burma

He had a battle with skin cancer a while ago and, a couple of years back, had a fall in the kitchen in which he broke his hip and gashed his head

Captain Moore was posted to India where he fought in the Arakan Campaign of 1942 to 1943 during the Second World War

Philip, 98, made his first major public statement on Monday since he retired nearly three years ago, thanking key workers including refuse collectors and postal staff for keeping essential services running during the Covid-19 outbreak.

With the UK in lockdown and thousands dead from the coronavirus outbreak, there will be no birthday gun salutes.

The Queen decided the celebratory display of military firepower would not be ‘appropriate’ at this time.

Usually a 21-gun salute is fired by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery from either Hyde Park or Green Park, followed by a 62-gun salute at the Tower of London by the Honourable Artillery Company. 

Royal Mail will use a special postmark to wish Captain Tom a happy birthday, appearing on all stamped mail in the UK beginning next week.  

Originally from Keighley in West Yorkshire, Captain Moore trained as a civil engineer before enlisting in the Army for the Second World War, rising to captain and serving in India and Burma

Originally from Keighley in West Yorkshire, Captain Moore trained as a civil engineer before enlisting in the Army for the Second World War, rising to captain and serving in India and Burma

Captain Tom has said plans for his 100th birthday party were affected by the lockdown, but the huge swathes of support the country has voiced for him was ‘a party enough for me’. 

He had started raising money to thank NHS staff who helped him with cancer treatment and a broken hip – and has since launched a cover of You’ll Never Walk Alone with Michael Ball and the NHS Voices of Care Choir

Captain Tom Moore yesterday revealed that Dame Vera Lynn sent him a letter after he finished his 100th lap for the NHS.

The 99-year-old received the touching tribute from the sweetheart of the armed forces after he knocked her off the top of the singles charts with his You’ll Never Walk Alone fundraising single.

Captain Tom today said he was ‘rather sorry’ for scooping the top spot and said he was ‘amazed’ to have heard from Dame Vera. 

The royal family are, like the rest of the country, staying away from one another as they follow the social distancing rules amid the pandemic.

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