Today (Thursday, April 21) marks Queen Elizabeth II's 96th birthday, and it is one that the Queen will celebrate privately.
This will be in contrast to her 'official' birthday on June 12 this year, which will see the return of Trouping of the Colour, and the Platinum Jubilee celebrations to coincide with it all.
The Queen will retreat to her Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, and 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.
READ MORE: Why does the Queen have two birthdays?
On Good Morning Britain, biographer and historian Hugo Vickers talked about the Queen's activities for today.
The Queen turns 96 today. She will spend her birthday at her Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) April 21, 2022
Biographer and historian Hugo Vickers talks to @richardpbacon and @kategarraway about what he believes the Queen will do to mark her birthday. pic.twitter.com/DtO29hpNBy
He said: "She loves Sandringham. She's actually at Wood Farm which is where Prince Philip spent most of the last years of his life before he went back to Windsor Castle.
"And of course she'll have a lovely time as she'll be able to be with her horses and go to the stud and see how everything is progressing.
"I gather that she's possible got three runners in the Derby this year which will be exciting."
While Thursday will be low-key, public celebrations will take place June 2-5, when four days of jubilee festivities have been scheduled to coincide with the monarch’s official birthday.
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