"Family & Public Service", a pledge at 21 carried to 90: 69 years' Nobility, Wisdom & Compassion. Thank you, Queen of Grace!

Inset: In 1940, Princess Elizabeth, 14, featured in a radio programme called Children's Hour. She sent her best wishes to the children who had been evacuated from Britain to America, Canada and elsewhere as Britain was suffering the worst of the Blitz during World War Two.
Bottom: Elizabeth became a Girl Guide in 1937, her sister, Princess Margaret enrolled as a Brownie and their mother became the Patron of the Girl Guides. During WWii, Elizabeth did her part to boost public morale.

The Queen with her great-grandchildren and youngest grandchildren. From left: James, Viscount Severn; Lady Louise Windsor; Mia Tindall (holding the Queen's handbag); Princess Charlotte; Savannah Phillips; Prince George and Isla Phillips.

Top: April 2016 - as the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh walked the short distance from Windsor Castle, a spontaneous rendition of Happy Birthday rang out.
Bottom: Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh at the Bedaling Pass, on the Great Wall of China, on the third day of their state visit to the country. No British monarch had ever travelled to mainland China, let alone walked the Great Wall so the Queen's trip in October 1986 made history.

Queen Elizabeth II talking with Pope Benedict XVI in the Morning Drawing Room at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh during a four-day visit by the Pope to the UK.

Adorable Prince George is given a step up as he beams proudly next to his 'Gan-Gan' in magical family portrait to mark her 90th birthday. Perched proudly on a pile of foam blocks, but holding daddy's hand just in case, Prince George poses for his very first postage stamp alongside his father, his grandfather, and the great-grandmother whose face has appeared on more stamps than anyone in history.

Documentary 2015 | Queen Elizabeth II - One of The World's Most Influential Women

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BBC: Ninety years in 90 pictures, Happy birthday, Your Majesty
UK PM David Cameron: "Throughout it all, as the sands of culture shift and the tides of politics ebb and flow, Her Majesty has been steadfast - a rock of strength for our nation, for our Commonwealth and on many occasions for the whole world."
Lee Cohen: "Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith…." "a remarkable name for a remarkable person. She has reigned longer than any British monarch.
The Queen is a great source of pride, inspiration, and comfort, not only to her nation or the Commonwealth, but to the world. While other world leaders shirk responsibilities for immediate pleasure or the spotlight, the Queen has always put duty first. "
"Her Majesty is a great source of cumulative knowledge..."
"She is her nation’s greatest champion-- a head-of-state who inspires great pride and affection, and a superb example of how to behave in a complicated world. "
Her Majesty continually fulfills the promise she made 69 years ago: "I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong."
Support for the royal family and her personal popularity remain high.
"Happy birthday, Queen Elizabeth. The world needs you now more than ever"

* The Queen has been married for 68 years, longer than any other British monarch
* Her coronation was the first to be televised and was watched by over 20 million people in the UK
* There have been 12 UK prime ministers, seven Archbishops of Canterbury and seven Popes during her reign
* During her reign, she has visited 117 countries, travelling more than a million miles
* In 2012 she became the second British monarch to celebrate a diamond jubilee, and in 2015 became the UK's longest reigning monarch

Lee Cohen: "Queen Elizabeth the Second, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith…" a remarkable name for a remarkable person. She has reigned longer than any British monarch. Queen Elizabeth turns 90 today and the world needs her more than ever.

The Queen is a great source of pride, inspiration, and comfort, not only to her nation or the Commonwealth, but to the world. While other world leaders shirk responsibilities for immediate pleasure or the spotlight, the Queen has always put duty first. The Queen, at the remarkable age of 90, is likely to be found commemorating her fighting forces, or visiting veterans and the elderly. She is her nation’s greatest champion-- a head-of-state who inspires great pride and affection, and a superb example of how to behave in a complicated world.

A frequent visitor to the United States, Elizabeth II is met with burgeoning American crowds, anxious to get a glimpse of this international superstar. I was honored to meet and shake the hand of Her Majesty at a Garden Party at the UK Embassy in DC during her May 2007 state visit to the U.S. and found the experience thrilling.

In times of celebration, we Americans have delighted at Queen Elizabeth's congratulatory messages or formal reception of our leaders. In troubling times, we are glad for the Queen’s messages of support or condolence, as in her remarks in response to the 911 attacks: "But nothing that can be said can begin to take away the anguish and the pain of these moments. 'Grief is the price we pay for love.'" When she speaks to us it is not just as a queen, but as a champion of Western Civilization, the Anglopshere, and as a mother.

Her Majesty is a great source of cumulative knowledge who has benefitted prime ministers, presidents, religious and other global leaders since 1952. It well-known that the Queen meets weekly with her prime minister, and frequently with leaders from every corner of the globe. Without need of a passport, she has visited an astonishing 128 countries.

Illustrating the tremendous value of the Queen’s advice, her longest serving PM, Lady Thatcher, said in tribute on Her Majesty’s 80th birthday : “The Queen takes an intense interest in every aspect of life in our country and she brings to bear a formidable grasp of current issues and a tremendous breadth of experience…Her guidance and advice are always most acute and as Prime Minister I was privileged to benefit from both enormously."

While heads of government come and go, the Queen has been an enduring voice of stability that has served the world though diverse periods and cycles. Considering the information to which she has been privy, Queen Elizabeth possesses amassed knowledge superior to most intelligence agencies. While the public are not aware of her conversations with the most-powerful, it is undeniable that the Queen has provided priceless counsel and advice in times of both war and peace, and has done so with ultimate integrity and discretion.

Her Majesty continually fulfills the promise she made 69 years ago: "I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong."

God save the Queen. May He grant her many more years.

(Lee Cohen, head of the New York office of Off the Record Strategies and New York Director of The Anglosphere Society, spent years advising the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee on Western European affairs, and was founding Executive Director of the House United Kingdom Caucus.)

Adorable Prince George is given a step up as he beams proudly next to his 'Gan-Gan' in magical family portrait to mark her 90th birthday: he posed for his very first stamp while perched on a pile of foam blocks - sweetly holding Daddy's hand. Perched proudly on a pile of foam blocks, but holding daddy's hand just in case, Prince George poses for his very first postage stamp alongside his father, his grandfather – and the great-grandmother whose face has appeared on more stamps than anyone in history

Prime Minister David Cameron said the Queen had been "a rock of strength for our nation" and the Commonwealth, as he and fellow politicians paid tribute in the House of Commons. Mr Cameron said: "Her Majesty The Queen has lived through some extraordinary times in our world.

"From the Second World War... to the rations with which she bought the material for her wedding dress.

"From presenting the World Cup to England at Wembley in 1966, to man landing on the moon three years later. From the end of the Cold War to peace in Northern Ireland.

"Throughout it all, as the sands of culture shift and the tides of politics ebb and flow, Her Majesty has been steadfast - a rock of strength for our nation, for our Commonwealth and on many occasions for the whole world."

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Photo courtesy BBC News, Fox News, and Daily Mail