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Queen Elizabeth was honoured with a standing ovation as her Platinum Jubilee celebrations began.
The 96-year-old monarch delighted the audience as she attended a star-studded equestrian event at a venue close to Windsor Castle.
Hollywood stars Tom Cruise and Dame Helen Mirren – who has played The Queen on screen – led the glitzy cast for the first major celebration of the monarch’s 70 years on the throne.
The Queen had a walking stick but was able to get to her seat in the show despite ongoing mobility problems. She was joined by her youngest son Prince Edward for the ‘A Gallop Through History’ event that reflects her life-long passion for horses.
The extravaganza was staged by the Royal Windsor Horse Show, which welcomed the monarch on Friday (13.05.22) as she toured the show grounds. The Queen has attended every event since the show launched 79 years ago as she has a keen interest in horse racing and breeding.
The monarch missed the State Opening of Parliament for just the third time in her reign last week and was replaced by Prince Charles for the event due to “episodic mobility issues”.
It followed the Queen not attending events at Easter – such as the Maundy Thursday service – and the announcement that she would not be attending garden parties at her royal residences across the country.
Meanwhile, it was previously revealed that Her Majesty had taken delivery of a state-of-the-art golf buggy to help her move around in comfort.
The 43 mph four-seater electric cart was built by Danish firm Garia as part of a tie-up with Mercedes-Benz and is described as putting “many passenger cars to shame”.
It has a range of 50 miles before its battery needs recharging and while she’s relaxing on one of the four brown leather seats, the Queen can tuck into treats from its fridge, or check for weather updates and mapping on the tablet-style 10in screen next to the steering wheel.
