A new parliamentary session is marked by the State Opening of Parliament and normally takes place once per year, and right after a general election. The ceremony in its current form dates back to the reign of Queen Victoria and the new Palace of Westminster which was finished in the 1850's.

Very many of the ceremonies within the State Opening of Parliament date back to Tudor times. The searching of the cellars by the Yeomen of the Guard for example can be traced back to the time of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. The Plot of 1605 involved a failed attempt by English Catholics to blow up the Houses of Parliament and kill the Protestant King James I and his Government.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II today celebrates her 86th birthday today. The Queen will celebrate her birthday privately at Windsor Castle with members of her family.

Officially, the birthday of The Queen was marked across the United Kingdom by the British Armed Forces carrying out gun salutes. Dozens of cannons fired into the air at the Tower of London, Hyde Park, Windsor Castle, York's Museum Gardens, Portsmouth Harbour, Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle.

Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, officially – Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, was born on 21st April 1926 to the then Duke and Duchess of York (Later, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth) As a young Princess, Elizabeth became heir-presumptive to the throne upon the abdication in 1936 of her uncle King Edward VIII.

The Danish Royal Court has released three new official portraits today, the portraits feature Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II and His Royal Highness The Prince Consort of Denmark. As it is usually the case with Danish Royal Portraits, the new set shows the majestic splendour of the Danish Monarch.