Posted on 04/16/2006 10:20:44 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
LONDON (AFP) - Showing few signs of slowing down, Queen Elizabeth II -- Europe's longest serving monarch -- marks her 80th birthday on Friday with a host of parties and engagements that run until June.
It looks set to be a colourful affair as the royal family enjoys a period of calm compared with a decade ago, when divorce and scandal put the House of Windsors in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
But the celebrations will also be on a smaller scale than a four-day party thrown for Queen Elizabeth's golden jubilee in June 2002, as her 80th birthday is seen as more of a private than a public achievement.
"The queen's 80th is a landmark personal anniversary," said a spokeswoman for Buckingham Palace. "It's right that it should be appropriately celebrated."
While her real birthday is April 21, Queen Elizabeth also enjoys an official birthday -- this year on June 17 -- when the fickle English weather is deemed more favourable for outdoor festivities.
Scores of events have therefore been planned over the coming weeks, from an exclusive lunch with 100 fellow octogenarians on Wednesday to a children's party featuring Harry Potter and Noddy on June 25.
And there will be a range of souvenirs, from stamps to limited-edition teddy bears, to commemorate her birthday, while the BBC has made a special two-part documentary on her life.
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born in London on April 21, 1926. Third in line to the throne, she initially had little prospect of becoming the sovereign.
The abdication of her uncle, King Edward VIII, in 1936, made her Britain's heiress-presumptive. She became queen in February 1952, aged just 25, after the death of her father, King George VI, and was crowned in June 1953.
Thrown into the role at such an early age, she rose to the challenge, capturing the hearts of the nation in the process with her charm, dignity and eloquence.
Married with four children -- Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward -- Queen Elizabeth juggled her job as head of state, the armed forces, the Commonwealth and the Church of England with motherhood and, later, being a grandmother.
The fourth longest-reigning British monarch in 1,000 years, she has seen nine prime ministers come and go, including Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher. Tony Blair is her 10th and the first to be born during her reign.
The queen, famed for her colourful outfits and matching hats, escaped the sense of scandal that has tainted much of the House of Windsor, making her one of its most popular members, royal experts say.
Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, told AFP: "It is because of her sense of duty and the fact she has never really put a foot wrong."
Her only "wobble" was failing to intervene sooner when the marriage between her eldest son Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana broke down in the early 1990s, Seward said.
Ten years ago, when Queen Elizabeth marked her 70th birthday, there had been much talk of when the monarchy -- battered by the collapse of Charles's wedding and that of his younger siblings, Prince Andrew and Princess Anne -- would end.
A survey at the time found that 43 percent of people believed it would exist in 2046. A similar poll six years earlier in 1990 put the ratio at 70 percent.
Queen Elizabeth, however, rode out the storm, pushing on with her royal duties -- trips overseas, entertaining dignitaries, bestowing honours and greeting the public -- with her trademark smile and wave.
Recent successes, such as Charles's remarriage a year ago to Camilla Parker Bowles, his former mistress and fellow countryside enthusiast, also gave the royals a new lease of life.
Reflecting the personal nature of her 80th birthday, the queen will spend much of Friday privately with her family.
She will, however, meet the public on a morning walkabout with her husband, Prince Philip, 84, outside Windsor Castle, west of London.
Later in the day, the queen will travel to Kew Palace in nearby Richmond, where Charles, next in line to the throne, is hosting an 80th birthday dinner for her and some 25 close family members.
He will also broadcast a televised tribute to his mother.
Despite her 80 years, the queen remains in remarkably good health and will likely continue to work for at least another decade, experts say, though they predict she may have to start cutting down some of her royal duties.
PING!
They don't have to do anything the fact that they are their is enough. Although from personal expierence when I worked as a news paper photog (NOT PAPARAZZI ) I know how hard they do work......Anyway collecting your MBE or whatever just wouldn't be the same from some 'here today gone to jail tomorrow' politician. As for Charles becoming king there are a lot of people here against that and would prefer William but who in the UK would want him to shoulder that burden so young... thats probably 20 years away at least.
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