Today is Queen Elizabeth’s 96th birthday. There have been official and unofficial tributes all over England honouring her birthday during this Platinum Jubilee. Her Majesty is celebrating the day privately in Sandringham.

And a new photo was released to commemorate the occasion:

Good job, whoever was behind this decision to have this shot in particular be shared for her birthday. It’s a great picture, and for me kind of a surprising one in that it’s not super posed and formal. She’s just out here hanging out with her ponies, enjoying being outside, and also it’s an image of strength. So there’s strategy here too – showing the monarch standing, flanked by two majestic creatures, the idea being that she’s fully in command. Because, of course, there have been questions about her health in recent months given that she’s kept such a low profile, by her standards, and especially during the Jubilee when it’s supposed to be a flex of monarchical continuity. This photo, however, is royally glorious in its own unique way and it does the job.

Also…she’s wearing a GREAT coat, I love it so much. At first I thought it was black. On closer inspection, this is green. Edinburgh green, and of course the significance of that is the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, her late husband, who was laid to rest last year just days before her 95th birthday.

Public well wishes for the Queen came from other members of the British royal family including Prince Charles and Prince William and Kate:

And you know how the Daily Mail celebrated Her Majesty’s birthday? I mean they’re supposed to be all about respecting her and against those who would disrespect her but when I got up at 5am ET today, this was how the Daily Mail website looked:

Screenshot of The Daily Mail this morning

That’s a lot of Prince Harry energy on display because, of course, nothing says Happy Birthday, Queen like obsessing over everything her grandson said in his interviews and whipping the public into a tantrum over him. And how would that possibly make her happy?