The Queen at 90: her life in pictures

On 21 April 2016, Britain celebrates the 90th birthday of HM The Queen - the country's longest-serving monarch. Classic FM takes a look back at her life in pictures.

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   1. Queen Elizabeth II and her corgis pose for a 90th birthday portrait

   In this official photograph released by Buckingham Palace to mark her 90th birthday, Queen Elizabeth II is seen walking in the private grounds of Windsor Castle on steps at the rear of the East Terrace and East Garden with four of her dogs: clockwise from top left Willow (corgi), Vulcan (dorgie), Candy (dorgie) and Holly (corgi). © 2016 Annie Leibovitz / PA Wire© 2016

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   2. The Queen Through The Years

   1926: The Duke and Duchess of York with their baby daughter Princess Elizabeth

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   3. The Queen Through The Years

   1929 Princess Elizabeth in the park.

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   4. The Queen Through The Years

   1930: Princess Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth II) at the Royal Tournament, at Olympia, London

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   5. The Queen Through The Years

   1931: Princess Elizabeth arriving at the 16th Century Church at Balcombe, Sussex, for the wedding of Lady May Cambridge and Captain Henry Abel Smith

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   6. The Queen Through The Years

   1933: Princess Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret in the doorway of the doll's house presented to them by the people of Wales, in the grounds of the Royal Lodge, Windsor

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   7. The Queen Through The Years

   1936: Early life of princess Elizabeth - Princess Elizabeth takes her pet dog for a walk in Hyde Park, London, on Feb. 26. 1936. She was then nearly ten years old. Her father was still duke of York. Edward VIII was on the throne.

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   8. The Queen Through The Years

   1936: Princess Elizabeth, who celebrated her tenth birthday April 21, is shown riding her new white pony in Windsor Great Park, on April 21, 1936 accompanied by her riding master. Second in line of succession to the British throne, she may rule some day as Queen Elizabeth. She's the older daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York

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    9. The Queen Through The Years

    1937: Princess Elizabeth, heir-apparent to the throne of England as the king's oldest daughter, waves gracefully to the crowd which watched her leave Buckingham Palace by automobile on June 6, 1937 in London

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    10. The Queen Through The Years

    1940: Princess Elizabeth of England shown on her 14th Birthday which she celebrated at Windsor, England on April 21, 1940

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    11. The Queen Through The Years

    1942: Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth Alexander Mary, eldest child of the King and Queen of England, is 16 years old on April 7, 1942. Like thousands of other children, the Princess will probably observe the occasion quietly "somewhere in the country." Since the war, she has been knitting garments for the poor, contributing funds to purchase cigarettes for the armed forces and attending dances and armed forces and attending dances and programs of evacuated children. Other years it was different. In 1937 Princess in review at Portsmouth, spoke over the radio and appeared at public functions. When her parents toured American in 1939 she had the time of her life. She was appointed recently a colonel in the Grenadier Guards

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    12. The Queen Through The Years

    1943: Princess Elizabeth, center, ties knots under the watchful eyes of an expert at Buckingham Palace, Jan 9, 1943, London, England. The white stripes on her pocket proclaim her to be a patrol leader

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    13. The Queen Through The Years

    1944: Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) and King George VI with their daughter Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II), who will shortly celebrate her 18th birthday

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    14. The Queen Through The Years

    1944: Princess Elizabeth of England, in the uniform of a Ranger, takes the salute from the "bridge" of the S.S. Sea Scout, during a visit to the Sea Scout exhibition being held at the London Scottish Drill Hal, Buckingham Gate, London, England on April 18, 1944

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    15. The Queen Through The Years

    1945: Princess Elizabeth, heir presumptive to the British throne, as she attended a rally of Land Army girls in England on June 30, 1945. The Princess is the daughter of King George and Queen Elizabeth

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    16. The Queen Through The Years

    1946: Princess Elizabeth at the Royal Lodge at Windsor on August 26, 1946

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    17. The Queen Through The Years

    1947: Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh (formerly Lt Philip Mountbatten, RN) as they leave Westminster Abbey after their marriage ceremony

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    18. The Queen Through The Years

    1947: Princess Elizabeth and Lieut. Philip Mountbatten, whose engagement was announced, pose for their first engagement pictures at Buckingham Palace

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    19. The Queen Through The Years

    1947: Princess Elizabeth, the bride, leaving Buckingham Palace in London on Nov. 20, 1947, in the Irish coach accompanied by her father, King George VI, to travel to Westminster Abbey where she will marry the duke of Edinburgh, unseen

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    20. The Queen Through The Years

    1948: Prince Charles was christened Charles Philip Arthur George in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Looking on are (l-r) King George VI, Princess Elizabeth, The Queen Mother and (standing) the Duke of Edinburgh

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    21. The Queen Through The Years

    1948: Princess Elizabeth holds her son Prince Charles after his Christening ceremony in Buckingham Palace

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    22. The Queen Through The Years

    1950: Princess Elizabeth smiles broadly as she arrives at the French Embassy in London's Kensington Palace Gardens, on Mar.8, 1950 to attend a state banquet tendered by French President and Madame Vincent Auriol

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    23. The Queen Through The Years

    1952: The front page of the Sunday Graphic newspaper, after the death of King George VI, with a headline "The King the People loved, the Queen who is our Hope"

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    24. Queen's Coronation

    June 1953: Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh at the Queen's Coronation. The ceremony took place at Westminster Abbey.

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    25. The Queen Through The Years

    1956: Queen Elizabeth II wearing her uniform as Colonel-in-Chief of the Grenadier Guards takes the salute at the gates of Buckingham Palace as the Guards march past on her return from the Trooping of the Colour ceremony at Horse Guards Parade, London

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    26. The Queen Through The Years

    1957: The Queen stops to chat to the American star Judy Garland as artists taking part in the Royal Variety Performance were presented to her at the London Palladium

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    27. The Queen Through The Years

    1958: Queen Elizabeth II, Duke of Edinburgh, Princess Anne and the Queen Mother, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the Trooping the Colour ceremony. The parade is held in honour of the Queen's official birthday

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    28. The Queen Through The Years

    1958: Queen Elizabeth II at Rothes Colliery, Fifeshire, where she made her first descent of a coal mine. She spent half and hour underground

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    29. The Queen Through The Years

    1958 Queen Elizabeth II at Goodwood races. She had two runners, Deutelle in the Goodwood Cup and Stroma in the Singleton Handicap. Neither was placed

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    30. Arriving at the Iranian Embassy

    1959: Queen Elizabeth II with the Duke of Edinburgh (behind) are welcomed by the Shah of Iran at the Iranian Embassy located on Prince's Gate, London

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    31. The Queen Through The Years

    1959: Queen Elizabeth II with the Duke of Edinburgh visiting Schefferville, Quebec, during her tour of Canada

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    32. On Holiday

    1960: Queen Elizabeth is holding Prince Andrew while the the Royal Family is on an outing in the grounds at Barmoral, Scotland.

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    33. The Queen Through The Years

    1964: The Queen with sons Prince Andrew and baby Prince Edward driving from Euston on return to London from Balmoral

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    34. The Queen Through The Years

    1965 Prince Andrew offers his brother Prince Edward, being carried by his mum the Queen, a daffodil whilst eldest brother Prince Charles looks on at Windsor on the day of the Queen's 39th birthday

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    35. The Queen Through The Years

    1967 Queen Elizabeth II at the garden party in the grounds of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, London, in connection with the 50th anniversary of the Women's Services

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    36. The Queen Through The Years

    1968: This time it is four-year-old Prince Edward and the pet Corgi who seem to be attracting the attention of Queen Elizabeth II, 42. The Royal Family were posing in the gardens at Frogmore, Windsor, for special birthday photographs. Something else seems to be attracting the attention of the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Andrew. Also in the picture are Princess Anne (18 in August) and the Prince of Wales, 19

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    37. Investiture Ceremony

    1969: During the investiture ceremony at Caernarfon Castle, Queen Elizabeth II crowns her son, Prince Charles, as the Prince of Wales.

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    38. The Queen Through The Years

    1971: A dazzling smile from the Queen in the Chelmsley Wood shopping centre during her visit to Birmingham

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    39. The Queen Through The Years

    1972: The Queen as she explains the details of the Trooping of the Colour to her youngest son Prince Edward at Buckingham Palace. circa date 1972

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    40. The Queen Through The Years

    1972: Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh at Balmoral to celebrate their Silver Wedding anniversary

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    41. Royal Family in 1972

    1972: Prince Charles, Prince Edward, Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Andrew, and Princess Anne poise for a picture at Buckingham Palace, London.

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    42. Silver Wedding Anniversary

    1972: The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh celebrate their anniversary in the Belgian suite within Buckingham Palace.

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    43. The Queen Through The Years

    1973 The Queen, Prime Minister Edward Heath and the Duke of Edinburgh (centre, background) in the foyer of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London. They attended a gala launching 'Fanfare for Europe', the official festival marking Britain's entry into the Common Market

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    44. The Queen Through The Years

    1976 Queen Elizabeth II, left, waves from the balcony of the White House, in Washington, as she stands with President Gerald Ford, his wife Betty Ford, the First Lady and the Duke of Edinburgh

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    45. The Queen Through The Years

    1977: Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh as they received a traditional Fijian welcome on board the Royal yacht Britannia on their arrival at Suva

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    46. Silver Jubilee Procession

    1977: After the end of the procession, Earl Mountbatten of Burma, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh wave to the crowd from their Buckingham Palace balcony.

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    47. Heading to Barbados

    1977: The Concorde flies by the Royal Yacht Britannia as the royal couple proceeds to Barbados

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    48. Eating dinner on board the British Royal Yacht Britannia

    1979: The Queen Elizabeth dines with Sheik Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa of Bahrain.

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    49. Walking Her Dogs

    Spring 1980: During the Windsor Horse Trials, the Queen is spotted walking her corgis on the Cross Country Course.

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    50. The Queen Through The Years

    1981: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh after the Queen had declared the new Humber Bridge formally open. It actually opened to traffic 22 days earlier. The Queen and Duke then drove across the £91 million structure, the world's longest suspension bridge, from the Hull to the Grimsby side

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    51. The Queen and the Pope

    1982: Queen Elizabeth II meets with Pope John Paul II at the Buckingham Palace, London.

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    52. The Queen

    1982: Queen Elizabeth II at a reception after opening Canberra's National Gallery during an Australian Tour.

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    53. The Queen Through The Years

    1989: The Queen attends the 1989 Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium

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    54. The Queen Through The Years

    1992: The queen arrives at spencer house to attend a dinner hosted by the present and former prime ministers to mark the 40th anniversary of her accession to the throne.

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    55. 40th Anniversary of Her Accession to the Throne

    November 1992: The Queen delivers a speech after a Guildhall luncheon in which she brands 1992 as her "Annus Horribilis" because of the criticisms directed at the Royal Family

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    56. Diana's Floral Tributes

    September 1997: At Buckingham Palace, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh walk through the numerous floral tributes to Diana - the Princess of Wales.

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    57. The Queen Through The Years

    1998 Her Majesty the Queen (left) and the Queen Mother, chat as members of the Royal family watch the days events from the balcony at Epsom, prior to the running of the 219th Derby today (Saturday)

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    58. The Queen Through The Years

    2001: British Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh in a horse and carriage on the island of Sark on at the start of a two day state visit to the Channel Islands

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    59. The Queen Through The Years

    2002: Queen Elizabeth II waves to the crowd as she rides, in the Gold State coach from Buckingham Palace to St Paul's Cathedral for a service of Thanksgiving to celebrate to her Golden Jubilee. The coach was built for King George III in 1762, and has only been used by the Queen twice before - for her Coronation, and her Silver Jubilee. Later, after lunch at Guildhall in the City of London, she will watch a parade and carnival along The Mall. Monday night saw more than one million people gather in central London to hear the Party in the Palace concert, and to watch a spectacular firework display.

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    60. Golden Jubilee

    2002: The Queen and the Duke Edinburgh watch fireworks explode over Buckingham Palace in celebration of her Golden Jubilee.

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    61. The Queen Through The Years

    2002: Queen Elizabeth II waves to the crowd as she rides, in the Gold State coach from Buckingham Palace to St Paul's Cathedral for a service of Thanksgiving to celebrate to her Golden Jubilee. The coach was built for King George III in 1762, and has only been used by the Queen twice before - for her Coronation, and her Silver Jubilee. Later, after lunch at Guildhall in the City of London, she will watch a parade and carnival along The Mall. Monday night saw more than one million people gather in central London to hear the Party in the Palace concert, and to watch a spectacular firework display.

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    62. The Queen Through The Years

    2002: Queen Elizabeth II attends the 50th anniversary of the world's longest-running play, The Mousetrap, at St Martin's Theatre, London. Agatha Christie's famous whodunit , the first stage production to achieve a golden jubilee, opened on November 25, 1952, *..10 months after the Queen came to the throne. 26/3/04: Queen Elizabeth II attending the 50th anniversary of the world's longest-running play, The Mousetrap, at St Martin's Theatre, London. Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap celebrates 30 years at the St Martin's Theatre. Guests attending a photocall include original cast member Lord Attenborough and members of the current cast. The Agatha Christie's famous whodunit , the first stage production to achieve a golden jubilee, opened on November 25, 1952

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    63. 50th Anniversary of the Queen's Coronation

    2003: Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, their oldest son, the Prince of Wales, and his oldest son, Prince William poise for a picture before dinner to mark the anniversary of her Coronation.

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    64. The Queen in Africa

    2003: The queen visits the West African country of Nigeria with the Royal Fathers at the British High Commission in the city of Abuja.

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    65. The Queen Through The Years

    2004: Britain's Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth II visit Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha (the Sikh Temple) in Hounslow, west London. The Queen was visiting the temple, with her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, to open a 2.5 million phase of development

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    66. The Queen Through The Years

    2006: Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and her son, the Prince of Wales attend the Braemar Highland Games at the Princess Royal and Duke of Fife Memorial Park, Aberdeenshire. The royals have been regular visitors to the games since Queen Victoria first attended in 1848

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    67. The Queen Through The Years

    2006: Britain's Queen Elizabeth II during a walkabout to celebrate her 80th birthday in Windso

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    68. Royal Couple

    2007: The Queen and her husband, Duke of Edinburgh, at Broadlands

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    69. The Queen Wearing 3D Glasses

    2010: The Queen and her husband visit the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research centre. During the visit, the royal couple wore 3D glasses to watch a display and pilot a JCB digger.

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    70. The Queen Through The Years

    2011 Queen Elizabeth II receives a gift given to her during a visit to the home economics department at Clontarf Aboriginal College in Perth

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    71. The Queen Through The Years

    Queen Elizabeth II and The Duchess of Cambridge arrive at Kings Cross St Pancras Station, London, before boarding a train to visit the city of Leicester on the first date of her Diamond Jubilee tour of the UK.

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