Posted on 04/21/2006 12:22:10 PM PDT by Cecily
For today was a prime queen-spotting occasion - her 80th birthday.
Crowds had gathered from early morning for a glimpse of her, many with bouquets and birthday cards.
They were being watched not only by camera crews and photographers but also police marksmen stationed high on the castle's turrets, binoculars trained on the expectant people.
Many of the well-wishers had found elevated perches - window ledges, bus stops, bollards - from which to see the monarch.
As the crowd grew, a Beefeater band marched down the High Street and school children excitedly waved their union jacks.
For Lucy Gyngell, aged six and three-quarters, her day out from Eton Porney School was a chance to "wave our flags and say long live the Queen".
Lucy Gyngell thought the Queen had a boring job "replying to letters"
"I saw her on telly once. She spends all her day replying to letters - it's so boring," Lucy said, but thought she was "really good" nonetheless.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
Happy Birthday, your Majesty, from the FReepers.
Happy birthday!
I know a lady who made a cake for her 50th anniversary of her coronation.
Hey Britain, Your Queen is German, pass it on...
Actually, she is half Scottish.
What's the other half?
German. But using your logic, I could say that Great Britain has a Scottish queen.
It remains the family name of the current Royal Family.
George II
George III
George IV
William IV
Victoria
Edward VII
George V
Edward VIII
George VI
Elizabeth II
All German...
Terrier, maybe? :)
Their bloodline is getting more British. Charles's heir William is half English, one quarter Scottish, and three quarters German. The same is true of all of the queen's grandchildren, since all her kids married Englishmen or women.
Elizabeth's mother was fully Scottish, so you can't really say ER II is a full-blooded German.
She's a pretty nice girl...but she doesn't have a lot to say.
Let me join everyone else in saying,
"Happy Birthday, Your Majesty."
I find the history of the royals to be fascinating.
FYI... If the Queen lives another 10 years she will be the longest reigning British Monarch of all times.
Victoria reigned for 63 years.
Didn't Queen Elizabeth change the name of her family to Mountbatten-Windsor at one time in honor of her husband Prince Philip?
Anyway, best wishes to Her Majesty (for a "German" monarch, her English accent is superb).
And isn't Prince Phillip actually part Greek/Danish?
Yes.
When a Queen dies the house of the husband becomes the royal house.
So to keep both houses "official" the Queen took both her name and Philip's and created a new house name.
Thus when Prince Charles becomes Charles III his house will be Mountbatten-Windor.
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