Queen Elizabeth The Second celebrates her official birthday tomorrow and on the eve of the day she turns 86, we thought it'd be a good time to indulge in some fabulous archive images of Britain's Monarch in this her Diamond Jubilee year.

From the moment she was born, she's lived every inch of her life under the media spotlight. From the nurse showing her off as a baby, her Christian upbringing with regular family visits to church, and her coming of age at 21.

Don't these smiley engagement pictures of the Queen with Prince Philip remind you of Wills and Kate?

When she was just 27 years old, the eyes of the world watched her being crowned Queen in 1953, an extraordinary occasion, attended by everyone from peers of the realm to political and business leaders.

There have been the inevitable landmark events which have been both difficult and tragic. The death of Princess Diana in 1997 saw hundreds of thousands of bouquets placed outside Buckingham Palace by shocked mourners.

Princess Margaret, The Queen's sister passed away in 2001, and sadly The Queen Mum 2 months later. But away from the tragedy there's much to rejoice about her reign: embracing all the cultures and the countries with which Britain has been intertwined in a myriad of ways. Not only has she travelled well but dignitaries have enjoyed visiting her too.

And to celebrate The Queen's birthday and the 60<sup>th year of her accession to the throne an image of her created with a montage of 200,000 children's self-portraits was beamed onto the side of Buckingham Palace. Thousands turned out to see it unveiled, just a reflection of how much The Queen remains in the hearts and minds of us all. Happy Birthday, Ma'am.