Heir she is!
After nearly two months out of the spotlight—and several canceled events—Queen Elizabeth II made a rare public appearance at the annual Royal Windsor Horse Show, arriving May 13 in her standard Range Rover. During the occasion, the all-smiles 96-year-old wore a gray skirt, green sweater and white blouse topped with a navy coat and accessorized with a scarf, her signature pearls and black patent leather Launer handbag.
The monarch sat in the royal box along with her son Prince Edward, his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex and friend Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma. They cheered on the queen's horse Balmoral Leia, who took first place in the Highland class and resulted in Her Majesty receiving the winner's cup.
Her attendance comes days after the queen missed the State Opening of Parliament on May 10, making it the first time in almost 60 years that she has not attended the event. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said Her Majesty was experiencing "episodic mobility problems" and reluctantly made the decision to skip after consulting with her doctors.
This wasn't the only event she's had to bow out of, with others including Easter Sunday service in April and Remembrance Sunday service in November. (Though she's still made a handful of virtual appearances). Prior to the horse show, she had not been seen publicly since March 29, when she attended the Service of Thanksgiving for her late husband Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey in London.
But her upcoming schedule is still as packed as ever as the country plans for her Platinum Jubilee next month. Royal watchers are perhaps most excited for the annual Trooping the Colour, one of two times she celebrates her birthday.
However, this year will look very different than previous ones. After all, the queen has decided to limit appearances to include just working royal family members. In other words, don't expect to see Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Prince Andrew up on the balcony with the rest of the family.
Before then, keep reading to learn every fact you don't know about the queen.