The Queen really knows how to hold a birthday party. While tonight she was the guest of honor at a concert featuring a number of British musical acts alongside members of her family, the day itself was full of festivities marking the Queen hitting the big 9-2.
Outside Buckingham Palace the Irish Guards struck up a rendition of “Happy Birthday” during the Changing of the Guards:
This morning The Band of the Irish Guards @IrishGuardsBand played Happy Birthday during changing of the Guard for The Queen's 92nd Birthday. @ArmyInLondon #HappyBirthdayHerMajesty #QueensBirthday pic.twitter.com/kQmogKs2nP
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) April 21, 2018
And a 21-gun salute was fired off in Hyde Park:
My birthday parties are quite literally garbage compared to this.
Anyway, the banner event was certainly tonight’s concert, which was attended by the Queen, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess Royal, Timothy Laurence, the Duke of York, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, the Earl and Countess of Wessex and Lady Louise Windsor.
In a nice role-reversal, the Duke of Cambridge played third-wheel to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle since the heavily pregnant Duchess stayed home.
And Meghan wasn’t the only fiancee to end up on the scene – Eugenie’s fiance, Jack Brooksbank, also attended the family event.
The RF took their seats as Welsh singer Tom Jones started his act with it “It Ain’t Unusual,” while the Queen, decked out in shimmering gold, took her place last.
Meghan wore a navy blue cape dress by British designer Stella McCartney – I loved it, but it’s getting mixed reviews online.
I also thought that Beatrice looked gorgeous.
Camilla, too, looked lovely in purple.
And I have to say, every time I see Edward and Sophie’s daughter, Louise, these days I’m always struck by how grown up she looks. It’s hard to believe she’ll turn 15 this autumn – she’s permanently about eight in my head!
Eugenie looked lovely in a white dress with a blue floral print.
While Princess Anne’s son, Peter Phillips, and his wife, Autumn, attended this evening, it doesn’t look like her daughter, Zara, or her husband, Mike Tindall, were there. Below is Anne and her husband, Timothy Laurence:
My favorite photo from the evening may well be this one of the Queen and William during the show:
Finally, for a little dose of nostalgia, here’s the Windsor women on the occasion of the Queen Mother’s 92nd birthday on August 4, 1992. You can see both Queen Elizabeths flanked by Princess Margaret and the Princess Wales and some much younger looking Windsor men!
I’ll update this post if and when any new photos or tidbits come out of this evening, but we’ll turn back to history this week and cover both of Harry and Meghan’s engagements on Monday and Wednesday. I also have a feeling we’re all going to wake up one morning in the next couple days to news Kate’s in labor – my fingers are crossed it happens before next weekend!