Queen Elizabeth celebrates her 96th birthday in the historic jubilee year

Buckingham Palace told CNN that the Queen had traveled to Sandringham, her home in Norfolk, eastern England, for a private holiday.

A photo released to celebrate the occasion shows the king standing between two shedding ponies named Bybeck Nightingale and Bybeck Katie. The photo was taken in Windsor Castle Square in March, according to the royal family’s Twitter account.

William and Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, sent a message to the Queen on her birthday on social media.

“I wish Her Majesty the Queen a very happy 96th birthday today!” Tweet reads. “It is an inspiration to so many across the UK, the Commonwealth and the world, it is especially special that we are celebrating this Platinum Jubilee Year.”

Charles, Prince of Wales, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, also sent a birthday message to the Queen.

“We wish Her Majesty the Queen a special 96th birthday today, as we celebrate her platinum jubilee,” the couple wrote on Twitter.

The Platinum Jubilee marks seven decades of the Queen Ascended the throne in 1952This makes her the longest-serving female head of state in the United Kingdom and the longest-serving female head of state in history.

To celebrate the unprecedented anniversary, a number of events will take place across the UK throughout the year – culminating in a four-day National Bank weekend from Thursday 2 June until Sunday 5 June, known as the Jubilee Weekend.

Toymaker Mattel also announced a Barbie doll that looks like a queen to celebrate the jubilee.

Queen Elizabeth II Barbie wears an ivory gown, blue ribbon, and tiara. It will go on sale from Thursday.

The Queen recently revealed that she has become “very tired and exhausted” in the wake of the recent bout of Covid-19. The Saudi monarch tested positive for the virus in February.

However, her grandson Harry, the Duke of Sussex, said the Queen was “in good shape” when he saw her in mid-April.

“It was great to see her,” he said in an interview with NBC’s “Today” program that aired on Wednesday.

Before his grandmother turned 96, Harry commented, “After a certain age you get bored of birthdays.”

Speaking about his relationship with the Queen, Harry described it as “really special”, adding: “We talk about things you can’t talk about with anyone else.”

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CNN’s Max Foster contributed to this report.