Queen Elizabeth II privately marks her 96th birthday

Stepping up! Prince Charles filled in for his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on the opening day of British Parliament — and got a taste of his future on the throne.

Queen Elizabeth II will not attend the opening of Britain’s Parliament on Tuesday due to mobility issues, according to Buckingham Palace.

Royal role reversals. Queen Elizabeth II will not be at the opening of Parliament amid health concerns, with Prince Charles, Duchess Camilla and Prince William attending in her place.

Wilson Chapman editorIn celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years of reign, a new documentary featuring never-before-seen footage of the royal is set to premiere May 29.Titled “Elizabeth: the Unseen Queen,” the 75-minute BBC television documentary will focus on the early years of Queen Elizabeth’s life, from her birth to her coronation at the age of 27 in 1953. The film features several home recordings from the Royal Family, which have until this point been privately held in the British Film Institute vaults.Queen Elizabeth gave BBC Studios permission to access footage and the producers and editors viewed over 400 reels of film.

, this marked the pair's first joint trip to the U.K. since moving to California in 2020. Their daughter, who is , was born in June 2021 and, as far as we know, has yet to make a trip abroad.Back in February, Prince Harry's lawyers expressed that the duke did not traveling to the U.K.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are heading across the pond with their kids. The couple will attend Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June, a spokesperson for the pair confirmed to ET.What's more is they will be bringing their children, Archie and Lilibet, with them to the celebrations, marking the first time their daughter will meet the monarch since being born in Santa Barbara, California, last June. According to a source close to the royal family, the queen is delighted she will be meeting her great-granddaughter for the first time and excited to be able to spend time with Archie and Lili. ET understands Harry’s relatives are also looking forward to meeting the couple's infant daughter and seeing Archie, who is now a 3-year-old toddler. While ET has learned that it was the sovereign herself who invited Harry and Meghan to attend her celebrations, they will not be permitted to partake in the royal family's traditional balcony appearance at Buckingham Palace during the annual Trooping the Colour event.

Family matters. As the big celebration gets closer, fans are wondering: why did Queen Elizabeth ban Prince Harry and Meghan Markle from appearing on the Buckingham Palace balcony during her  Platinum Jubilee festivities? 

Kate Middleton honoured the best and brightest in fashion on Wednesday.

Kate Middleton made a stunning appearance as she presented The Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design in London on Wednesday.The Duchess of Cambridge dressed elegantly to hand out the prestigious award at the fifth consecutive event celebrating British fashion design, which is hosted by the British Fashion Council at the Design Museum in London. Kate, 40, was pictured wearing a gorgeous green dress with a flowing midi skirt and a high neckline.The dress also sported a half sleeve with ties at the ends and included a belt of the same colour, but the belt added a touch of glamour with a gold buckle.

LONDON -- During a long weekend of royal pageantry devoted to Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne, the British people will take center stage in at least one event.More than 10,000 performers, including schoolchildren, community groups and military bands, are expecting to troop to Buckingham Palace on June 5 to cap four days of celebrations marking the queen's Platinum Jubilee.The event on the Mall, the tree-lined road that leads to the palace, will feature pop star Ed Sheeran, dancers, acrobats, vintage cars and depictions of the queen’s favorite corgis and horses in performances highlighting the changes in British society during Elizabeth's long reign.“It will be all about how, through the recollections and stories and experiences we share, we can see how we are all connected through time to each other, and to the queen,” the show’s director, David Zolkwer, said Tuesday.Elizabeth, the longest-ruling monarch in British history, assumed the throne when she was 25 years old. In the next seven decades, the U.K.

Queen in training! Duchess Kate’s style has been heavily influenced by Queen Elizabeth II, according to royal expert Bethan Holt.

Princess Eugenie has left a sweet message for her grandmother the Queen as she celebrates her 96th birthday. Queen Elizabeth II celebrated turning 96 on Thursday 21 April and marked the occasion by releasing a portrait that sees her posing with two majestic white horses.

All hail the Queen. Queen Elizabeth II—Queen of the United Kingdom and the bearer of a legacy of over 70 years of rulership, she is one of the most powerful women on the planet.

Queen Elizabeth II turned 96 on Thursday, and members of the royal family wasted no time paying tribute to the family matriarch.Prince William and Kate Middleton were two of the first to post a sweet message on social media for Her Highness.«Wishing Her Majesty The Queen a very happy 96th birthday today!» the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wrote alongside two photos, one which showed Queen Elizabeth surrounded by her great-grandchildren and late husband, Prince Philip.A post shared by Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@dukeandduchessofcambridge)William and Kate added, «An inspiration to so many across the UK, the Commonwealth and the world, it’s particularly special to be celebrating in this #PlatinumJubilee year.»The Platinum Jubilee is being celebrated this year in the Commonwealth to mark the 70th anniversary of the accession of the Queen Elizabeth II on Feb. 6, 1952.In a post on the Royal Family's official Twitter page, a portrait of the Queen as a toddler could be seen alongside the message, «Happy Birthday Your Majesty! Today as The Queen turns 96, we’re sharing this photograph of the young Princess Elizabeth aged 2.

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have paid a heartfelt tribute to the Queen on the occasion of her 96th birthday.MORE: The Queen's poignant 96th birthday plans include a nod to the late Prince PhilipThe royal couple selected two touching photos to accompany their message, the first of which showed William and Kate with the monarch as they showed her round the Duchess's Back to Nature Garden at the 2019 Chelsea Flower Show. WATCH: The Queen's grandchildren and great-grandchildren lead the way at Easter serviceThe second image poignantly shows the Queen and her late husband Prince Philip posing with seven of their great-grandchildren.

Royally celebrating. Queen Elizabeth’s birthday plans for her 96th year have very sentimental value. The elderly queen traveled to her estate in Sandringham the day before her big day, and the Norfolk home has some memories tied to the Queen’s late husband, Prince Philip. 

As a young princess, Her Majesty the Queen wished for a brother to avoid the pressures of the crown. According to Ian Lloyd, author of The Queen: 70 Chapters in the Life of Elizabeth II , prayed hard for her mother to produce a male heir and take the throne instead of her.

Prince Harry is giving a little insight into one of his first face-to-face meetings with Queen Elizabeth II since leaving the U.K. Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle visited the Queen at Windsor Castle for the first time as a couple since moving to the U.S.They were on their way to the Netherlands for the 2022 Invictus Games.  "She had plenty of messages for Team UK, which I have already passed on to most of them," Prince Harry told the BBC regarding the meeting.

After his recent reunion with Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Harry reflected on the “great” stop that was made prior to his appearance at the Invictus Games with Meghan Markle.