Britain's Royal family preparing host of celebrations to mark Queen's 80th

Oct 27, 2005, 13:47 GMT

Britain's Royal family is preparing a host of celebrations to mark Queen Elizabeth II's 80th birthday next year.

Events are being planned at both Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle and will combine private family celebrations with more public occasions.

Buckingham Palace has announced the monarch's landmark birthday will be celebrated with a National Service of Thanksgiving.

The milestone date will also be marked with the Trooping of the Colour, a ritual that takes place to mark the royal birthday every year.

Two days before the Queen's 80th, which falls on April 21, the monarch and the Duke of Edinburgh will host a reception and lunch at Buckingham Palace for people from around the country who share her exact birthday.

Those also born on April 21 1926 can apply for an invitation through their county's lord lieutenant.

The monarch will spend her actual birthday surrounded by her family at Windsor Castle, where her eldest son, Prince Charles, will host a dinner. A few days after she turns 80, the Queen and other members of the British Royal family will gather for a special Service of Thanksgiving at St George's Chapel, Windsor.

A palace spokeswoman revealed to Britain's Daily Mail newspaper: "This anniversary is not intended to be a mini-Jubilee, but the Queen's 80th is a landmark personal anniversary. It's right that it should be appropriately celebrated."

Organisers have also planned to take a special exhibition of the Royal Collection's finest drawings by Leonardo Da Vinci around the country as part of the celebrations.

Pictures from the set - which contains the world's most important group of the artist's drawings - will be taken to museums and galleries across the UK.

In June, the Queen will host one of her famous garden parties at Buckingham Palace, this time for children from all over the UK.

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