LONDON, April 21, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - Gun salutes will mark Queen Elizabeth II's 
96th birthday on Thursday, although the monarch herself was expected to mark 
the occasion with little fanfare after a troubled year hit by health 
concerns.

Royal officials released a photograph of the horse-loving head of state with 
two of her fell ponies, as family members wished her well.

Her grandson Prince William and his wife Kate called her "an inspiration to 
so many across the UK, the Commonwealth and the world".

In the British capital, 62 gun rounds will be fired later from the Tower of 
London and 42 in Hyde Park, where a military band will also play "Happy 
Birthday".

Royal tradition since the 18th century has also seen the monarch have a 
second, official birthday, typically celebrated in warmer weather in June.

This year's official birthday coincides with four days of public events from 
June 2 to 5 to mark the queen's record-breaking 70th year on the throne.

No official engagements are planned on Thursday and the queen is spending 
time at her late husband Prince Philip's cottage on her Sandringham country 
estate, where he lived after retiring from public life in 2017.

The trip is being seen as a "positive step", given the queen's recent health 
problems, British media reported.

Since an unscheduled overnight stay in hospital last October, she has cut 
down massively on public appearances on doctor's orders.

A back complaint and difficulties standing and walking have seen her cancel a 
number of engagements, including recent church events to mark Easter.

A bout of Covid-19 in February left her "very tired and exhausted", she 
admitted earlier this month.

But William's brother Prince Harry told US broadcaster NBC in an interview 
aired on Wednesday that she was "on great form" when he saw her last week.

The queen was last seen in public at Westminster Abbey in central London on 
March 29 at a memorial service for Prince Philip, who died last year aged 99.

- Health and succession -

The queen's enforced retreat from public life in her Platinum Jubilee year 
has increased attention on the succession and future of the monarchy.

Her eldest son and heir, Prince Charles, has assumed more of his mother's 
responsibilities in preparation to take over the throne.

His popularity has increased in recent years, according to an Ipsos poll of 
more than 2,000 adults in Britain in March.

But his 43 percent approval rating is still well behind that of his mother 
(69 percent), his eldest son Prince William (64 percent) and his daughter-in-
law Kate Middleton (60 percent).

Some 42 percent of those surveyed also said they believed Charles, 73, should 
step aside for William, who turns 40 in June.

Aside from questions about the queen's health and the succession, the royals 
have rarely been out of the headlines due to a succession of scandals.

Last month there was controversy after the queen's disgraced second son 
Prince Andrew supported her at Prince Philip's memorial service.

In February, he settled a US civil claim for sexual assault that had earlier 
seen him stripped of his honorary royal military titles and charitable roles.

The palace is said to be bracing for fresh revelations about royal life from 
Harry, who is due to publish his memoirs later this year.

The former British Army captain quit the royal frontline last year and moved 
to California with his American wife Meghan Markle.

From there, the couple accused the royal family of racism, while Harry 
claimed his father Charles and brother William were "trapped" within the 
system of the British monarchy.

The future of the royal family's global reach is also far from assured.

The queen is head of state of Britain and 14 other Commonwealth countries 
around the world.

But Barbados became a republic last year and a number of other Caribbean 
countries, including Jamaica, have since indicated they want to follow suit.