Happy 86th Birthday, Queen Elizabeth II!

Before her official birthday bash kicks off in June, Britain's monarch celebrated her actual 8-6 privately with family and friends

By Brandi Fowler Apr 21, 2012 3:46 PMTags
Queen Elizabeth II AP Photo / Arthur Edwards, pool

When you're the queen, you can't possibly have just one birthday celebration (or honorable shindig) a year.

The British monarch, who turned the big 8-6 today, won't celebrate her birthday publicly until June 16, when she will be honored with a military pageant at the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony.

But the queen did celebrate in smaller fashion Saturday, with a private birthday get-together attended by family and friends.

So what were the royals up to?

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Not too much.

While the queen's day began with a traditional 21-gun salute, she reportedly planned to spend a quiet day at Windsor Castle, lunching with family and relaxing, according to CBS.

This was a nice change for the monarch, who has been in the midst of celebrating her 60-year-reign via her Diamond Jubilee, with tours around the U.K. and beyond.

"Not very exciting, but for her that is a bit of a relief," Majesty magazine editor Ingrid Seward told the network. "She's 86 and Prince Philip is 90. Doing those overseas tours, with the change of climate and the actual exhaustion of flying, she just can't do it anymore. So, the family are doing it for her."

Not only did the queen's family help with her private birthday party, they've also been chipping in when it comes to Diamond Jubilee duties.

The queen was accompanied by Kate Middleton when she kicked off her Diamond Jubilee celebration, while Prince Harry jetted off to Brazil, Jamaica, Belize and the Bahamas earlier this year to spread the word about the queen's honorable milestone. Meanwhile, Prince William and Kate Middleton will head to Asia this fall to continue the royal families' touring commitments. 

Happy birthday, Queen Elizabeth II!

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