Cathedral service starts celebrations for British Queen's 90th birthday

LONDON, June 10 (Reuters) - Britain holds a National Service
of Thanksgiving in honour of Queen Elizabeth on Friday, kicking
off a weekend of events to mark the official 90th birthday of
the country's longest-reigning monarch.
The church service at London's St Paul's Cathedral, attended
by a host of dignitaries including other members of the royal
family and Prime Minister David Cameron, will be a double
celebration for the queen with Prince Philip, her husband of
68-years, marking his 95th birthday.
"Most especially today do we give thanks for the length of
years that has been granted to our most gracious Sovereign Lady,
Queen Elizabeth: for her faithful devotion, dutiful commitment,
loving leadership, gentle constancy, royal dignity and kindly
humanity," David Ison, the Dean of St Paul's, will say.
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.
To mark the occasion, the sixth and final portrait in the
series of official birthday pictures taken by U.S. photographer
Annie Leibovitz was released, showing the monarch with her
husband at her Windsor Castle home, west of London.
Then on Saturday Elizabeth will attend 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.
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 guests will hail from some of the more than 600
charities and other organisations of which she is patron with
the festivities beamed to large screens in the capital's parks.
The government also said millions of Britons were expected
to join in the occasion at local street parties being held
across the country.