Nobody could ever have accused Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother of missing the opportunity to celebrate her birthday with her public! The celebrations in London were legendary and I always enjoyed the fun of sleeping out on the pavement the night before in order to get a good place outside Clarence House on the day, which my son Zachary also did from when he was a baby! First of all the press were allowed in to set up in the area fenced off for them, and then we would be allowed through the gates when the police were ready. The first time we saw the Queen Mother would be when the Irish Guards band marched past, playing their jazzed up version of Happy Birthday, and she would come out to the gate to acknowledge them. Later she would come out for the children to take flowers to her, and would then go walkabout, collecting multiple gifts and more flowers, often going right out onto The Mall where those who could not get through the gates were cheering for her. In her later years the walkabout was actually in her golf buggy, decorated in her racing colours and driven alongside the barriers by one of her two chauffeurs, John or Arthur. Most of her ladies-in-waiting would be in attendance, collecting flowers from her to take inside, and, by the time she returned to the main entrance, the buggy would be festooned with flowers and balloons. The final appearance at Clarence House would be when her family had arrived to join her for a celebratory lunch, at which point they would all come out together, and this was when I took the pictures including The Queen.
As well as celebrating in London, The Queen Mother would attend church at Sandringham on the closest Sunday to her birthday, after which, accompanied by The Queen, she would do a walkabout with the crowd gathered there. I always enjoyed watching the interaction between mother and daughter during the Sandringham visit. Although The Queen Mother's birthdays always appeared to be big public affairs, her family was always at the heart of them, and The Queen was always a part of the day.