Happy 96th Birthday to Her Majesty the Queen

To Celebrate the Queen's 96th birthday I wanted to share 96 of my favorite moments from the most famous Queen in the world. I am beginning this with some amount of trepidation as, despite her long and impressive reign, I’ve only been following the Queen for about 12 of her 96 years or a measly 12.5% of her entire life. Of course, I’ve learned a lot over the years but I’m sure there are still plenty of great moments I remain completely ignorant of. If I miss any of your favorite things about the Queen or moments or memories leave a comment below!

Some of these I’ll explain, but some of them I’ll let you interpret or search for yourself. Now in an increasingly random order, my 96 favorite Queen Elizabeth moments.

1. Jubilees

2. The Queen as a great-grandmother

3. Susan the Corgi

4. The Queen and Prince Philip

5. Her love of horses

6. Born third in line

   1. When the Queen was born, she was never supposed to be Queen let alone become the longest reigning monarch in British History. Born the elder daughter of the second son of King George V, it was assumed for the earliest years of her life that her uncle (Edward, Duke of Windsor) would marry and have kids that would eventually become monarch. However, the abdication crisis meant that (then) Princess Elizabeth became the heir presumptive.

7. The Queens Christmas speech

8. Her dedication to the Armed Services

9. The Queens 15 Prime Ministers

10. Her Majesty’s love of the Commonwealth

11. Record Breaker

    1. The Queen holds the record for longest reigning British monarch in history, longest reigning female monarch in history and the longest married monarch in history (The Queen and Prince Philip were married for 73 years). But that’s not all the records she holds. She has had the most British Prime Ministers of any monarch, the most U.S. presidents, is the most travelled head of state in history and the list goes on and on.

12. Using Philips walking cane

13. When her horse won at Royal Ascot

14. Trooping the Colour

15. Her rare appearances at Wimbledon

16. The Queen as an animal lover

17. Her “vintage” fashion

    1. The 1950’s were notoriously a great decade for fashion and the Queen definitely owned it in beautiful gowns, gorgeous silhouettes and stylish hats.

18. The Queen and her Grandkids

19. The laughing at Prince Philip photo

20. Leading the country through a pandemic

21. Serving in World War II

22. The Queen Dancing

23. Her love of Scotland

24. The crown jewels

25. Never Complain Never Explain

    1. I do think the Queen will be the last monarch to abide so faithfully to the “never complain, never explain” moniker. I think culture has changed so much that it’s not going to be a sustainable approach for the monarchy moving forward. Nonetheless, I admire her greatly for her steely perseverance and commitment to maintaining that approach as it worked well for her for the most part over the last seventy years.

26. The Queens 21st Birthday Speech

27. Her first official portraits as Queen

28. Royal Ascot

29. Brooches

    1. The Queen loves to make a statement with her selection of brooch and I love reading about the hidden meanings and the history

30. Cutting a cake with a sword

31. The dress with pockets

32. Her love of photography and videography

33. The Queens patronages

34. Order of the Garter

35. The Queen’s Coronation

36. Tours of the Commonwealth

37. The Queen on Zoom

38. Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret

39. Horseback riding in her 90’s

40. Balmoral and the Queen

41. Queen Elizabeth and the Countess of Wessex

    1. Possibly one of my favorite relationships of the Queens, the mutual adoration between mother and daughter-in-law has always been so sweet. Sophie clearly cares so deeply for the Queen and always shows her support, both publicly and privately.

42. 73 years of Marriage

43. The Queen and other Royals

44. Garden Parties

45. Her regal portraits

46. Norman Hartnell & Angela Kelly

47. The Queens Canopy

48. The future Queen Consorts

    1. The Duchess of Cornwall and Duchess of Cambridge will one day inherit the title of Queen Consort. However due to the fact the wider public doesn’t typically care about the technicalities of titles, they will likely just become known as Queen Camilla and Queen Catherine. Her Majesty has done multiple engagements with both of them and its always incredibly exciting to see the three of them together.

49. The Queens Education

50. Moving to Windsor

51. Ribbon Cutting, Plaque Unveiling and Tree Planting

52. The Queens adaptability

    1. There has perhaps been no other head of state to see such massive culture shifts as Queen Elizabeth. While she has always maintained decorum and dignity, she’s also learned to adapt to changing times, especially with the encouragement of her late husband, Prince Philip.

53. Head Scarves

54. Family Portraits

55. Buckingham Palace Balcony Appearances

56. Handling Hollywood with grace

    1. The Queen has been portrayed countless times with varying degrees of accuracy and she’s always managed those portrayals well as she’s met several actresses who have impersonated her. I personally find Hollywood’s general obsession with portraying real people while they are still alive bizarre and intrusive but she’s always handled it well.

57. The Queen and Prince Charles

58. Her faith

59. Matriarch of the house of Windsor

60. The Queen and her parents

61. Leaving the U.K. a Princess and returning a Queen

62. The Queens travels

63. Knighting Sir Captain Tom Moore

64. Weekly meetings with the PM

65. Remaining apolitical

    1. It is crucial for members of the royal family to remain apolitical and the Queen has always managed this (seemingly) with ease and I applaud her for it. Especially today when everything can feel so politically charged, she embodies the cool, calm and collected spirit of the famous mantra: Keep Calm and Carry On

66. Balancing approachability with royalty

67. Her ever-evolving fashion

68. The Queen and her Ladies in Waiting

69. The Braemar Gatherings

70. The Queen and her Heirs

71. The Rainbow Queen

    1. The Queen is well-known for her colorful wardrobe and it always has the ability to brighten up a room. According to the Countess of Wessex her rainbow wardrobe is to help people see her better in a crowd, which considering the crowds she attracts is incredibly thoughtful.

72. Sending a tweet

73. The Queens wedding dress

74. James Bond

75. 2012 - The Olympics & Jubilee Year

76. The Queens support for Camilla

77. Charles, Anne and Edward

78. Walkabouts

79. The Queen at Cop26

80. The Queens messages of Support

    1. The Queen routinely shares messages of supports for communities amid global crisis, natural disasters and other issues.

81. Medals, Insignias and Honors

82. The Queen and Canadian Prime Ministers

83. World Leaders adoration for her Majesty

84. The Queen at Remembrance Day

85. Gan-Gan

    1. The Duchess of Cambridge revealed around the Queens 90th birthday that Prince George called his great-grandmother, Gan-Gan and given how adorable it is, I sincerely hope it’s a nickname that stuck. The Queen now has 12 great-grandchildren (and a step-great-grandson!) and she sees most of them with some regularity as the family visits her at Windsor Castle.

86. The Queen as a wedding guest

87. Opening Parliament

88. The Queens Birthday Honours List and Investitures

89. Letters from the Queen

90. Barbour

91. Work From Home

    1. During the pandemic, the Royal Family transitioned to remote work which included the Queen taking Zoom Calls from Windsor Castle. This tradition has continued as she enjoys a lighter schedule in her mid to late nineties and allows fans to see the Queen while prioritizing her health and wellness.

92. Crowns and Tiaras

93. The Queen and her Grandchildren

94. The Queen seeing a cow

95. Her love of the Natural world.

96. A life of Service and Dedication to the Crown and Country

    1. I don’t think this one needs any explanation. The Queen has been epitomized service again and again throughout her life and set an incredible example for her family to live up to. Her legacy will be one centered around her love for her country and its people, her humility and graciousness, and her dedication to the crown.