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Artillery gun
salutes in London's Hyde Park and at the Tower of London will
mark the occasion although the queen, who normally spends her
birthday privately, has no formal engagements planned herself.
Elizabeth was born on April 21, 1926 in Bruton Street in central
London when Calvin Coolidge was U.S. President and Joseph Stalin
had just taken control in the Soviet Union and became queen in
1952 at 25.
Despite her age, she still regularly carries out official duties
although she has cut back on the number of engagements in recent
years, passing these onto other members of the Windsor family
such as to her son and heir Prince Charles and grandsons,
Princes William and Harry.
Polls show she remains very popular amongst Britons and royal
aides say there is little prospect of her abdicating. Asked if
she was well during a trip to Northern Ireland last year, she
quipped "Well, I'm still alive".
The queen has an official birthday in June which is publicly
marked with a large parade of soldiers through central London,
known as Trooping the Colour.
(Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
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