Queen Elizabeth, just like us, cut her hair at home during lockdown

Queen Elizabeth II was concerned when her grandson, Prince Harry, and his wife Meghan Markle decided they were ready to quit royal duties. In 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they were stepping back as senior members of the British royal family.The press quickly labeled the move "Megxit" and the nickname stuck.

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.

Prince Philip, a refuge from the affairs of state.Elizabeth is expected to spend the day at the estate’s Wood Farm cottage, a personal sanctuary where she also spent her first Christmas since Philip’s death in April 2021. Philip loved the cottage, in part because it is close to the sea, she said in February when hosting a rare public event at Sandringham.“I think the queen’s approach to birthdays very much embodies her keep calm and carry on attitude," said Emily Nash, the royal editor at HELLO! magazine.

Queen Elizabeth II s getting a head start on her birthday festivities.  The royal family’s official Instagram account shared a picture of the Queen on Wednesday standing between two of her fell ponies, Bybeck Katie and Bybeck Nightingale.  "Ahead of The Queen’s 96th Birthday tomorrow, Royal Windsor Horse Show, have released a new photograph of Her Majesty with two of her fell ponies, Bybeck Katie and Bybeck Nightingale," the caption began. Queen Elizabeth kicked off her birthday celebration early on Wednesday.

available Thursday, April 21, which is the Queen’s 96th birthday — is part of Barbie’s Tributes Collection, which honors famous and historical figures.The royal Barbie will be adorned with one of the monarch’s most iconic outfits: a replica of Queen Mary’s tiara — which she wore during her wedding to the late Prince Philip — as well as medallions inspired by the Royal Family Orders. The pink and blue ribbons will also feature miniature portraits of her father King George VI and grandfather George V.

Prince Harry considers himself an American now, but his first loyalty will always be to Queen Elizabeth.

Exiled UK royal Prince Harry readily admitted that the UK is no longer his home — and notably avoided saying whether he misses his dad and brother after their years-long bitter feud.“Home for me now, for the time being, is in the United States — and it feels that way as well,” the 37-year-old prince told the “Today” show in an interview that aired Wednesday.Asked pointedly by Hoda Kotb if “you feel like that’s home more for you,” Harry nodded and said, “Yup.”“I’m sure it will become a thing,” he admitted of having turned his back on the nation his family rules over.Harry gave a vague “of course” reply when asked if he missed his family, whom he has rarely seen since fleeing Britain and quitting life as a royal at the beginning of 2020.But he quickly changed the topic when asked if he missed his dad, heir to the throne Prince Charles, 73, and his once-close 39-year-old brother, Prince William.“For me, at the moment, I am here focused on these guys,” he said of the military veterans at the 2022 Invictus Games, where he was interviewed.“That’s my focus here and when I leave here I get back the focus is my family, who I miss massively,” he said of his kids with wife Meghan Markle, son Archie, 2, and daughter Lilibet, 10 months.Harry pointedly said it was “great” seeing his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, during his recent surprise trip to the UK — again making no mention of also seeing his 73-year-old dad, Charles.“It was really nice to see her — to be able to see her in some element of privacy was nice,” he said.“We have a special relationship with talking about things that she can’t talk about with anybody else,” he said of the Monarch, who turns 96 on Thursday, joking that by now she must be “bored” of birthdays.Even so,

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 might once again be ready to tend to his home duties. The Duke of Sussex, 37, took part in the Invictus Games — the fifth iteration of the famed sporting event for injured and sick veterans — and during the event, Harry sat down with "Today" co-host Hoda Kotb to shed light on his recent trip back to Buckingham Palace to visit with his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry could be returning to England sooner than you thought.

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.

Ahead of their appearance at the Invictus Games over the weekend, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle met with his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.

Was there an ulterior motive for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle finally traveling to the UK to visit the Queen?!

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle paid Queen Elizabeth a visit at Windsor Castle while on their way to the Netherlands for the Invictus Games.  This is the royal couple’s first joint visit back to the U.K. since they decided to move to Montecito, California, in March 2020 after stepping back as senior members of the royal family. A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed their visit to People on Thursday.  Although this is the first time the royal couple has made their return together to the U.K., Harry has been back for two occasions.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are making a big move amid an ongoing family feud.

Back on royal turf! Prince Harry and Meghan Markle paid a visit to Queen Elizabeth II in the United Kingdom.