Queen Elizabeth II is marking her 96th birthday privately on Thursday, retreating to the Sandringham estate in eastern England that has offered the monarch and her late husband, 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.
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The royal family's official Instagram account shared a picture of the Queen, an accomplished equestrian, on Wednesday, showing her posing alongside two of her fell ponies, Bybeck Katie and Bybeck Nightingale.
This birthday comes during the queen’s platinum jubilee year, marking her 70 years on the throne.
Toy maker Mattel announced Thursday that it was marking the occasion by releasing a Barbie doll in the queen's likeness.
The doll will be sold in London stores Harrods, Selfridges and Hamleys.
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.
Britain’s longest-serving monarch, Elizabeth has spent much of the past two years at Windsor Castle, west of London, where she took refuge during the pandemic.
It’s been a little over a year since the death of Philip, her spouse of more than 70 years.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.