62-gun salute marks Queen Elizabeths 90th birthday

A 62 artillery gun salute from the Tower of London on Saturday marked Queen Elizabeth’s official 90th birthday as part of a weekend of events.

The cannons were fired at 13:00 in the British capital with Tower Bridge seen in the background.

Earlier on Saturday, the Queen attended the traditional Trooping the Colour parade of soldiers in ceremonial uniforms in central London followed by a fly-past of Royal Air Force aircraft over Buckingham Palace.

On Sunday, to conclude the celebrations, the queen hosts “The Patrons Lunch” for 10,000 guests at the largest street party to be held on the Mall, the grand avenue that leads to Buckingham Palace, an event organised by her grandson, Peter Phillips.

The queen, who has been on the throne for 64 years and is by far the oldest monarch in British history, turned 90 in April but in keeping with tradition to ensure celebrations take place in the summer, she also has an official birthday usually in June.