Today is the Queen’s 80th birthday. I have already given her my tribute, of course, in the form of a stamp cover I designed for the occasion. A smashing collector’s item, and a very nice piece of Royal history.

My other tribute was today itself. I went to Build-A-Bear™ and created a little friend in honor of the Queen. He is a koala bear (Australia) with a kilt (Scotland) and a crown on his shirt (England). I tried to put him together with as much representation of the Queen’s kingdom as possible! His name is Eric, and he has furry ears. He likes the Queen a lot. ;)

Now, some links to slake your thirst for QEII news:

Happy 80th

Elizabeth II celebrates 80th birthday

Princess Margaret’s jewellery to be auctioned: “Jewellery belonging to one of the Royal Family’s most glamorous personalities is to go under the hammer as Viscount Linley prepares to sell off items from the collection of his mother, the late Princess Margaret.
Article continues below…

The Queen’s younger sister, who passed away in early 2002, led a dashing and high-profile life, and the pieces due to be auctioned at Christie’s in the summer each have a story behind them. For example, she wore the Poltimore tiara, expected to fetch well over ?250,000, for her wedding to Antony Armstrong-Jones.”

London Trip from New York Social Diary

There are some truly splendid photos here. Enjoy!

An official black and white portrait, taken by veteran photographer Jane Brown for the Queen’s 80th birthday, is the centrepiece of an exhibition at Windsor Castle ahead of the monarch’s special day on April 21.

“You get the feeling it captures a real moment in time,” comments royal curator Sophie Gordon.”It’s a vibrant portrait and the Queen certainly doesn’t look her 80 years.”

The public display of over 100 photos includes a mixture of iconic and informal shots, which reveal the many facets of her role and personality.

Portraits

Please visit:
Bletchley Park Post Office to pre-order your stamp cover of the Queen’s 80th birthday.

Read my interview with The Royalist.

Today is the 8 year anniversary of “Mandy’s British Royalty”.
Almost a decade… wow! Thanks to everyone who visited and enjoyed
the site. Here’s to another 8 years.