The Palace Releases Adorable Video of the Queen as a Child for Her Birthday

It's Queen Elizabeth II's 94th birthday, and the Royal Family has shared a compilation of private videos from when the monarch was very young.

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  • It's Queen Elizabeth II's 94th birthday today (impressive!), and in honor of that, the Royal Family Instagram account has shared a compilation of private videos from when the monarch was very young.
  • The video shows the Queen and sister Margaret horsing around—literally, riding horses and playing with dogs—and exploring and dancing. It's adorable.
  • The Queen's traditional Trooping the Colour celebration in June has been cancelled, but you can look through old ceremony photos here.

Happy birthday Your Majesty! The 94-year-old Queen Elizabeth II is self-isolating with Prince Philip on her birthday, instead of the traditional pomp and circumstance. But never fear: The Royal Family Instagram account has truly blessed us with throwback Queen content instead. From the Royal Collection Trust come private videos (some of which look like they might have been casually filmed by family members) of the Queen and her sister Princess Margaret at a very young age. Like, babies. And it's the cutest thing ever. 

Ugh, this video has absolutely everything. The Queen as a baby in her stroller, trailing a toy behind her. The animal-lover riding a horse (she's loved riding and racing her entire life), playing with the family dogs, and basically being Snow White with a bird crawling up her shoulder. She and her sister Margaret—who look nearly like twins—horsing around, exploring, and gardening together. The two girls with their mother dancing—People calls it a reel—on the deck of the Royal Yacht Britannia.

Seriously, just watch (they look so happy and relaxed!). It's a totally different look at the usually buttoned-up monarch:

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A post shared by The Royal Family (@theroyalfamily)

We also got a fabulous still photo from the Royal Collection Trust, along with some details about her early love for all things equestrian:

Meanwhile, the well wishes for the Queen have been pouring in, including from Kate Middleton and Prince William.

A post shared by Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@dukeandduchessofcambridge)

I think my favorite post might be the Royal Family sharing a recipe for (absolutely adorable) cupcakes on Twitter though:

Are they the Queen's faves?? Tell me! (Also, anyone, please bake them for me?)

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Katherine J. Igoe
Katherine J. Igoe
Contributing Editor

Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. In her role, she writes stories that are syndicated by MSN and other outlets. She’s been a full-time freelancer for over a decade and has had roles with Cosmopolitan (where she covered lifestyle, culture, and fashion SEO content) and Bustle (where she was their movies and culture writer). She has bylines in New York Times, Parents, InStyle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Her work has also been syndicated by ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, and Women’s Health, among others. In addition to her stories reaching millions of readers, content she's written and edited has qualified for a Bell Ringer Award and received a Communicator Award. 

Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeans, how sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.