The royal family has released these rare photos of the Queen on her 91st birthday

#HappyBirthdayHerMajesty

queen birthday photo

#HappyBirthdayHerMajesty

The Queen turns 91 today, marking one of her two birthdays (yes she has two birthdays). Her actual day of birth falls today and her official birthday is celebrated each June.

To mark the occasion, Buckingham Palace has shared a rare baby photo of the monarch.

The photo, tweeted by Buckingham Palace, is from the day of the Queen’s christening, showing the Duke and Duchess of York holding baby Elizabeth, on 1st May 1926.

Buckingham Palace weren’t alone in paying tribute to the Queen with a photo from the archives, with Clarence House following suit. The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall’s official residence also shared a photo of the Queen, this time being a sweet 1952 snap of the monarch and a very young Prince Charles.

The Queen, who celebrated her Sapphire Jubilee earlier this year, has been inundated with online birthday messages, so much so in fact that the hashtag #HappyBirthdayHerMajesty is trending.

We doubt Queen Liz will be checking Twitter today though, with the monarch said to be celebrating the occasion in Windsor Castle for a private day with her family – probably involving lots of chocolate biscuit cake if she has anything to say about it, with her former chef announcing it earlier this year as Queen Elizabeth's favourite food.

‘The chocolate biscuit cake is the only cake that goes back again and again and again every day until it’s all gone,’ Darren McGrady, former royal chef and author of Eating Royally explained. ‘She’ll take a small slice every day until eventually there is only one tiny piece, but you have to send that up, she wants to finish the whole of that cake.’ He went on to explain how he wouldn’t dare sneak a slice of her chocolate cake because she would notice.

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Jenny Proudfoot
Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.