Cheering crowds have greeted Queen Elizabeth II as she appeared outside Windsor Castle in a pink suit and hat on her 80th birthday.

And charismatic working grandmother shows no signs of slowing down and has genes on her side - her mother died at 101, Reuters reminds.

Queen Elizabeth's husband, Prince Philip, followed close behind as she passed through the castle's King Henry VIII gate, Voice of America reports.

A military band played and a 21-gun salute echoed nearby ahead of another 41-gun salute in London's Hyde Park later in the day Friday.

Prince Charles is hosting a birthday dinner for the royal family at a palace in London's Kew Gardens.

Queen Elizabeth has received 37,000 birthday cards and e-mails from around the world, according to Buckingham Palace.

Queen Elizabeth II issued a statement saying she is very touched by the messages. In an ITV News survey, Elizabeth was rated the most popular royal. Bottom of the survey came Camilla Parker-Bowles, Duchess of Cornwall, who last year married the queen's eldest son, Charles, after a tortuous 35-year romance.

In her 80s, Queen Elizabeth II remains perhaps the most style-conscious monarch. She is known for her penchant for brightly colored suits and hats.

French designer Sonia Rykiel once criticized the Queen of England about the way she dresses.
She called the Queen "the worst dressed person in the UK".

"The Queen is one of the worst dresses people in the UK, she should stop wearing those bright suits and hats ..." Sonia Rykiel said. "A woman in her position should start dressing in a more sober and serious manner."

Frankly, we sold our Sonia Rykiel sweaters cardigans on eBay promptly after this interview.

According to a senior royal aide, "The Queen proudly wears British designers. She wears practical and stylish clothing which is right for the kind of work she does."

Her main leisure interests include horse racing, photography, and dogs, especially her Pembroke Welsh Corgis.

Queen Elizabeth II is Europe's longest-serving living monarch. And lest we forget, Queen Elizabeth II is the Queen of Canada, too.





 

 

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