Buckingham Palace releases private film of the Queen

Poignant private home videos of the Queen playing with her younger sister Margaret were released by the Royal Family today to celebrate the monarch turning 94.

The touching archive films from the Royal Collection Trust reveal candid memories of the two sisters growing up and provide a rare insight into family life for the Queen as a young Princess Elizabeth.

The clips - sure to help boost the country's mood during the coronavirus pandemic - show Elizabeth playing with a pram as a toddler, on a seesaw and playing in a garden and dancing on a yacht with Margaret.

In a strong display of unity, Prince William, Kate Middleton and Prince Charles led tributes for the monarch after a turbulent week for the Royal Family in which Prince Harry and Meghan Markle decided to withdraw all forms of co-operation from many of the country's most popular news titles. 


The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are likely to issue their birthday message to the Queen later today, due to the time difference where they are now based in Los Angeles, which is eight hours behind London.

Clarence House released four photographs of the Queen with Charles and his wife Camilla over the years, while Kensington Palace put out a picture of Kate and William with the monarch at the Chelsea Flower Show last May.

Meanwhile Captain Tom Moore wished the Queen a happy birthday as he himself is flooded with cards ahead of his centenary - and his daughter said her heart is 'bursting' over the £27million he raised for the NHS. 

The Queen is marking her birthday away from her family as the lockdown continues. She is with her husband of 72 years, the Duke of Edinburgh, at Windsor Castle in Berkshire with a reduced household for their protection.

Aides have been planning to set-up Zoom video calls to mark the celebration instead, allowing the Queen's children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to wish her a happy birthday.  

With the UK in lockdown and thousands dead from the coronavirus outbreak, there will be no birthday gun salutes. The Queen decided the celebratory display of military firepower would not be 'appropriate' at this time.

Usually a 21-gun salute is fired by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery from either Hyde Park or Green Park, followed by a 62-gun salute at the Tower of London by the Honourable Artillery Company. 



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