Queen opts for 'low-key' birthday
The Queen will be marking her 82nd birthday privately at Windsor Castle on Monday.
It is believed she will spend the evening enjoying a quiet dinner at the Berkshire royal residence.
This year's birthday celebration contrasts with the monarch's 80th anniversary which saw national events staged to mark the milestone.
The Queen was born at 2.40am on April 21 1926 - the first child of the then Duke and Duchess of York - at 17 Bruton Street, the Mayfair home of her mother's parents, the Earl and Countess of Strathmore.
She is the great-great-grandchild of Queen Victoria, the last female sovereign.
Despite her increasing age, she still fulfils a large number of engagements at home and abroad, and she heads to Turkey next month for a three-day state visit.
On the Queen's birthday, union flags are flown above Government buildings from 8am until sunset and royal gun salutes are fired in her honour.
She has two birthdays - her actual one on April 21 and her official one in June, which is celebrated with the Trooping the Colour parade.
© Independent Television News Limited 2008. All rights reserved.
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