Royal family shares adorable picture of Princess Elizabeth aged 2 as the Queen turns 96

20 April 2022, 22:02 | Updated: 21 April 2022, 14:02

The Royal family has shared an adorable picture of Princess Elizabeth aged two as the Queen celebrates her 96th birthday today.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have joined those wishing the Queen a happy birthday.

In a message today, William and Kate have said Her Majesty is "an inspiration to so many across the UK, the Commonwealth and the world."

The monarchy's official Twitter account has also marked the day - with the picture of the then Princess Elizabeth.

In another photo released for her birthday, the Queen was seen with a pair of her fell ponies ahead of the Royal Windsor Horse Show next month.

Bybeck Nightingale is the pony to her left, while the other in shot is Bybeck Katie. The monarch travelled from Windsor to Sandringham for her 96th birthday on Thursday.

Gun salutes are scheduled for her while she is expected to stay at the Duke of Edinburgh's former cottage Wood Farm, on the Sandringham estate.

She said the late Prince Philip loved the building and part of the attraction was because the "sea was so close".

The Queen flew to Norfolk by helicopter after she met with Harry and Meghan.

Harry said she was on "great form" but added in an interview with NBC that he wanted to ensure she is "protected" and had the "right people around her" – though he did not elaborate on whether he was referring to royal aides or the royal family.

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Meanwhile, as their spat at Westminster rumbles on, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer both wished her a happy birthday.

The Royal Windsor Horse show will mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee with an equestrian display showing off horses from around the world.

Its 'A Gallop through History' event, which will feature some 500 horses from around the world, is described as a "personal tribute to our monarchy".

More than 1,000 performers are set to take part in the show, which will take viewers from the time of Elizabeth I to Elizabeth II.

The Queen, who shared her love of horses with her mother, has bred and raced horses for more than 60 years.

The photograph was taken in March, in Windsor Castle, by Henry Dallal, who was previously commissioned to take the monarch's official portrait on her 90th birthday.