queen elizabeth celebrated her 96th birthday at her sandringham estate on thursday as gun salutes rang out across london and windsor and military bands played happy birthdaybritains longest serving monarch who celebrates a historic platinum jubilee this year was pictured with two white ponies in a photo released for the occasiongovernment ministers joined members of the royal family in sending their best wishes to the queen who has stepped back from most public duties this year over concerns about her healthread alsoqueen elizabeth ii privately marks her 96th birthdaylondon queen elizabeth ii is marking her 96th birthday privately on thursday retreating to the sandringham estate in eastern england that has offered the monarch and her late husband prince philip a refuge from the affairs of state elizabeth is expected to spend the day at the estates woodqueen barbie marks british monarchs birthday platinum jubileelondon the toy manufacturer mattel has released a special barbie doll in honour of queen elizabeth ii to mark the british monarchs 96th birthday on thursday and also as a keepsake for the platinum jubilee celebrating 70 years of her reign this year the limitededition doll priced online at 75she has travelled from windsor castle west of london to spend her birthday at her estate in sandringham norfolkan inspiration to so many across the uk the commonwealth and the world its particularly special to be celebrating in this platinum jubilee year her grandson prince william and his wife kate said on twitterprime minister boris johnson who is visiting india wished the queen a happy birthday and paid a heartfelt tribute to her 70 years of dedicated and faultless service to our country and the commonwealth in a video messagetoymaker mattel launched a commemorative barbie doll of the queen dressed in an ivory gown with a blue sash and wearing her wedding tiara to mark the jubileeelizabeth became the queen of britain and more than a dozen other realms including canada australia and new zealand on the death of her father king george vi on feb 6 1952 while she was in kenya on an international tourthe news was broken to her by her husband prince philip who died last year aged 99 after more than seven decades by her sidewhen she ascended the throne josef stalin mao zedong and harry truman were running the soviet union china and the united states respectively while winston churchill was british prime ministerelizabeth has largely avoided the public spotlight after spending a night in hospital in october for an unspecified ailment and being ordered to rest she tested positive for covid19 in february and has said she was left very tiredshe has missed events including the remembrance sunday gathering and easter service but she joined other members of her family and dignitaries at a memorial service for her husband at londons westminster abbey last month