Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her 77th birthday on horseback
Queen Elizabeth II meets well-wishers during a walkabout in the market square, Romford, 06 March 2003.
LONDON (AFP) Britain's Queen Elizabeth II quietly celebrated her 77th birthday on Easter Monday with a horseback ride on the grounds of Windsor Castle, west of London, royal sources said.
Wearing a head scarf and accompanied by a groom, the monarch was waved off by her granddaughter Zara Phillips who was returning to the Castle from an earlier ride with her mother, Princess Anne.
As the queen enjoyed the brief sunny spells, which greeted her ride, a 21-gun salute was fired at noon (1100 GMT) from London and the Scottish cities of Stirling and Edinburgh to mark the occasion.
A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said the queen who celebrated 50 years on the throne last year spent the rest of Monday privately with her husband Prince Philip and other family and friends.
Last Sunday, Queen Elizabeth attended Easter service at Saint George's Chapel in Windsor, accompanied by Prince Philip, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.