Queen to open castle

Apr 18, 2006, 14:23 GMT

Britain's Queen Elizabeth is set to open a redeveloped castle which has been transformed into a luxury hotel.

The monarch will unveil the modernised Oxford Castle - which will boast luxury rooms, a restaurant, and an art gallery - in a ceremony in May.

The 11th Century castle, which was formerly a prison, closed in 1990 and has only been used as a film set since then, entertaining stars such as Brad Pitt, Gerard Depardieu, and Glenn Close.

Meanwhile, the monarch will celebrate her 80th birthday this Friday (21.04.06).

A host of events have been lined up to celebrate the milestone birthday.

The queen has invited 100 octogenarians to join her for a special lunch at Buckingham Palace.

She and her husband Prince Philip chose the lucky pensioners - who will dine at the monarch's state apartments - by drawing names out of a hat.

Britain's Royal Mint has also launched a new £5 to commemorate the royal's birthday.

The coin features the famous portrait of the queen by Ian Rank-Broadley - which has appeared on British currency for the last eight years - and the flip side sports ceremonial trumpets and banners as a salute to the monarch.

The queen will also be featured on a set of stamps being released to celebrate her 80th birthday.

The informal black and white images - which span eight decades - capture some of the happiest moments in the monarch's life.

The 79-year-old, who has reigned for 54 years, personally approved each of the eight photos, which were drawn from royal photograph archives.

Copyright 2006 BANG Media International