While King Charles' coronation is set to take place in just a few weeks, the royal family are today remembering the late Queen Elizabeth II on what would have been her 97th birthday.
Sharing a tribute to the late Queen on Instagram, Buckingham Palace wrote: "Today we remember the incredible life and legacy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, on what would have been her 97th birthday.
"When Her Majesty was born in April 1926, Princess Elizabeth and her family did not expect that she would one day become Queen. Following the abdication of her uncle King Edward VIII in 1936, her father acceded to the throne.
"When King George VI died in February 1952, Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II when she was just 25. Her Majesty went on to be Britain’s longest reigning Monarch - the only one in history to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee."
To mark Queen Elizabeth II's birthday, the official Twitter account for Kensington Palace released a previously unseen photograph of her surrounded by some of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
The photo was taken at Balmoral last summer by the Princess of Wales, who regularly takes the official portraits for her own children to celebrate their birthdays.
In the picture, the late monarch is joined by Prince William and Kate Middleton's three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, as well as Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh's children Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and James, Earl of Wessex.
Today would have been Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s 97th birthday. This photograph - showing her with some of her grandchildren and great grandchildren - was taken at Balmoral last summer.📸 The Princess pic.twitter.com/1FOU4Ne5DXApril 21, 2023
Zara Tindall's children, Lena, Mia and Lucas, are also present, as are Peter Phillips' daughters Isla and Savannah.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children, Archie and Lilibet, are not featured in the photo as the Sussexes have been living in the US since 2020.
Alongside the photo, the palace wrote: "Today would have been Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s 97th birthday. This photograph - showing her with some of her grandchildren and great grandchildren - was taken at Balmoral last summer."
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