Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

The Queen releases private footage of her and Princess Margaret as children to mark 94th birthday

Black and white video shows Her Majesty being pushed in a pram and playing on a seesaw 

Sarah Young
Tuesday 21 April 2020 14:28 BST
Comments
Queen releases private footage of her and Margaret to mark 94th birthday

The Queen has shared private footage of herself and Princess Margaret as children to mark her 94th birthday.

On Tuesday, the royal family’s official Twitter account posted the black and white video, which is part of the Royal Collection Trust and shows the siblings in their younger years playing on seesaws, dancing and being looked after by the Queen Mother.

“Thank you for your messages today, on The Queen’s 94th birthday,” the caption read.

“In this private footage from @RCT, we see The Queen, then Princess Elizabeth, with her family, including her younger sister Princess Margaret.”

The footage begins by showing a young Queen Elizabeth being pushed around in a pram as she drags a small horse and carriage toy behind her.

It then moves onto a clip of her and her sister Princess Margaret playing on a seesaw and chasing each other around on a grassy lawn.

The Queen, who is known to be an avid animal lover, is captured standing alongside a group of dogs, riding a horse and smiling as a bird lands on her shoulder.

The Queen Mother also makes a number of appearances as she smiles for the camera while gardening with her daughters.

This year, Queen Elizabeth II will be celebrating her birthday from Windsor Castle, where she is currently self-isolating with her husband, Prince Philip, amid the coronavirus outbreak.

For the first time in more than a decade the bells of Westminster Abbey, where the monarch was married and crowned, will remain silent on her birthday.

There will also not be any birthday gun salutes, after Her Majesty decided they would be “inappropriate in the current circumstances”. It is believed to be the first time that this has happened.

Traditionally, a 21-gun volley is fired by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery from either Hyde Park or Green Park in central London, followed by a 62-gun salute at the Tower of London by the Honourable Artillery Company.

Members of the royal family have sent their congratulations to the Queen on social media.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge tweeted a picture of themselves with the monarch and wished her a “very happy 94th” alongside emojis of a cake and a balloon.

Prince Charles also posted a tribute, sharing four pictures of him and his mother spanning most of his life.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in