In Pictures: The Military Life of Her Majesty The Queen in 96 Pictures
As Sovereign and Head of State, Queen Elizabeth II was Head of the Armed Forces and their Commander-in-Chief. From the age of 16, Her Majesty had a special bond with the Armed Forces which continued throughout her life.
- The Royal Family pictured during a visit to the Coastal Command station at Bircham Newton, Norfolk, on 26 January 1941.
2. HRH Princess Elizabeth visiting airborne troops, May 1944.
3. & 4. HRH Princess Elizabeth and Queen Elizabeth during a visit by the Royal Family to Netheravon in Wiltshire on 19 May 1944.
5. HRH Princess Elizabeth inspects the parade after presenting the first King’s Colour of the Royal Air Force in the United Kingdom during a ceremony in Hyde Park on 26 May 1951.
6. HRH Princess Elizabeth receives a bouquet of flowers during a visit to the RAF College Cranwell on 1 August 1951. This was the first time that the future Queen had reviewed a graduation parade at the Lincolnshire station.
7. H.M. Queen Elizabeth II at the 1953 Trooping The Colour with the 1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards. HRH Prince Philip present in Field Marshal’s uniform and The Duke of Gloucester, in the uniform of Colonel of the Scots Guards.
8. The view at Runneymede on 17 October 1953 as HM Queen Elizabeth II arrives to unveil the Air Forces Memorial.
9. HM The Queen inspecting a Royal Marine guard on board HMS GLASGOW during a visit to ships of the Mediterranean Fleet, 5 May 1954.
10. & 11. HM The Queen visits HMS Newfoundland, 11 April 1954.
12. Pictured is HM The Queen with distinguished guests at the dinner held at RAF Bentley Priory to mark the 40th Anniversary of the RAF, 1 April 1958.
13. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and The Duke of Edinburgh, accompanied by Air Vice Marshal DB Thomson, Air Officer Commanding 18 Group, watch a flypast of Shackleton aircraft of 120 Squadron during a visit to Kinloss on 14 August 1961.
14. Presentation of a new Standard to 83 Squadron by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Scampton, 10 June 1963.
15. & 16. RAF Finningley played host to HM Queen Elizabeth’s Silver Jubilee Review of the RAF on 29 July 1977. Here, Her Majesty can be seen inspected the Guard of Honour.
17. HRH Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to the Auxiliary Territorial Service Reunion, Women’s Royal Army Corps Centre, Guildford, Surrey in 1979.
18. HM Queen and HRH the Queen Mother attending a St Patricks day parade at Windsor in March 17th 1980.
19. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II pictured with members of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force at RAF Benson in South Oxfordshire, on 14 June 1989.
20. HM The Queen reviews a parade before the presentation of the new Royal Observer Corps Standard at RAF Bentley Priory, 25 July 1991.
21. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth meets former members of the RAF Regiment during an official visit to RAF Catterick on 30 October 1992. During the visit, which marked the 50 anniversary of the RAF Regiment, Her Majesty presented the corps with a new Colour.
22. HRH Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and HRH Prince Charles at Clarence House in London on the Queen Mothers 95th birthday, 4th August 1995 when she was entertained by the band of the Royal Corps of Signals.
23–26. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth pictured at RAF Halton on 31 October 1997.
27. HM The Queen during a visit to HMS Sultan on a shore base of the Royal Navy in Gosport, Hampshire. This is the primary engineering training establishment for the Royal Navy, 19 May 2000.
28. The RAF Regiment represent the RAF in a Tri-Service Guard of Honour during Her Majesty The Queen’s Golden Jubilee visit to the Armed Forces at Whale Island in Portsmouth, 27 June 2002.
29. HRH The Queen, with HRH The Duke of Gloucester in his Field Marshalls uniform at Trooping the Colour of the 1st Btn Grenadier Guards, 14 June 2003.
30. Her Majesty The Queen leaving Westminster Abbey after attending a service to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of hostilities in the Korean War, 9 July 2003.
31. The Queen visits RAF Marham. She met men and women on the station, many of whom served in the Iraq conflict, 4 February 2004.
32. HMS LANCASTER’s sponsor, Her Majesty the Queen, pictured when she visited the ship, 5 March 2004.
33–35. Her Majesty the Queen arrives at HMS Victory to inspect a Royal Guard comprised of Royal Navy and Royal Marine personnel prior to embarking on HMS ENDURANCE for the Royal Fleet Review in the Solent, 28 June 2005.
36. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh pictured onboard HMS ENDURANCE reviewing the multinational fleet as the Royal Navy Celebrate Trafalgar Bicentennial Year, 28 June 2005.
37. & 38. Her Majesty inspecting the parade of over 700 standards before leading the procession from Horse Guards, at the World War II 60th Anniversary Festival of Commemoration held at Horse Guards Parade, London on 10 July 2005.
39. HM The Queen & The Duke of Edinburgh leaving Buckingham Palace for the first national Veterans Awareness Week commemoration event in Horse Guards, 10 July 2005.
40. The Air League Ceremony on 15 September 2005 at RAF Northolt.
41. Her Majesty The Queen visiting Edinburgh Castle as part of the Annual Royal Week in Edinburgh, to officially open Scotland’s only cavalry regiment’s new £1.5 million museum, 6 July 2006.
42. Parade and final review of the Home Service Battalions of the Royal Irish Regt — 2R Irish, 3R Irish and 4R Irish in the presence of HM the Queen when the Regiment were presented with the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for service to Northern Ireland, 6 October 2006.
43. Station Commander, Group Captain J D Maas, greets Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth on arrival at Northolt, 29 May 2007.
44. The 90th anniversary of the battle of Passchendaele 12th July 2007.
45. Her Majesty The Queen smiles at His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales (mounted, left) with HRH The Duke of Edinburgh centre, during the Queen’s Birthday Parade in London on Saturday 13 June 2009.
46. Her Majesty The Queen arriving in a carriage to Horse Guards Parade Ground as soldiers of the Household Division paraded to mark her official birthday on 12th June 2010, at the Trooping of the Colour.
47. Her Majesty The Queen visiting RAF Marham in Norfolk to present a new Sovereigns Colour to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force and 2 new standards to 2620 and 2623 Sqns, 18 July 2010.
48. & 49. HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and Her Majesty The Queen at RAF Valley with Flight Lieutenant Wales following a tour of the UK Military Flying Training School (UKMFTS), 31 March 2011.
50. Four Hawk fast jet aircraft from 208 (R) Squadron at RAF Valley provided a flypast to mark the opening of the New Welsh Assembly by Her Majesty The Queen, 7 June 2011.
51. Her Majesty the Queen inspects the Guardsmen of 1st Battalion Coldstream guards and No 7 Company Coldstream guards in Windsor Castle, 3 May 2012.
52. Her Majesty the Queen Accompanied by His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh and the heads of the Armed Forces arrive at the Quadrangle for the Guard of Honour during the Diamond Jubilee Muster Parade, 19 May 2012.
53. Her Majesty The Queen arriving in Balmoral for her annual summer holiday on 6 August 2012. The Guard of Honour is comprised of A (Grenadier) Company of The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
54. Pictured is The Queen being photographed with the soldiers of the Household Cavalry Regiment and the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, 26 November 2012.
55. & 56. HM Queen and and the Duke of Gloucester at Buckingham Palace, where more than a thousand soldiers and horses from the Household Division paraded in front of their Colonel in chief, Her Majesty the Queen, on 15th June 2013.
57. & 58. Her Majesty The Queen, (1st Sea Lord to the right) and The Duke of Edinburgh as she officially named the UK’s newest aircraft carrier at Rosyth, near Edinburgh, in a spectacular ceremony celebrating British Naval capability, 4 July 2014.
59. & 60. HM The Queen and HM The King of the Belgians attend opening of the Flanders’ Fields Memorial Garden, Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II lays a wreath, 6 November 2014.
61. — 64. Her Majesty The Queen visited RAF Lossiemouth accompanied by His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh on Thursday 20th November 2014.
65. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, accompanied by her family at the end of the Afghan Service of Remembrance in St. Paul’s Cathedral, 13 March 2015.
66. HM Queen Elizabeth during her visit to HMS Ocean in Plymouth on 20 March 2015.
67. Her Majesty the Queen inspects 1st Battalion the Welsh Guards at Windsor, 30 April 2015.
68. Her Majesty the Queen and other members of the Royal Family, seen here on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London, 13 June 2015.
69. Her Majesty The Queen during the Garter Service at Windsor Castle. On Monday 15 June 2015, The Bands of the Life Guards, the Blues and Royals and the Irish Guards provided musical support to The Knights of the Garter as they gathered today at Windsor Castle in a ceremony which is older than the Army itself.
70. The Queens Colour Squadron lunch in the presence of Her Majesty The Queen at St James’s Palace Officers Mess, 8 July 2015.
71. Her Majesty The Queen visits RAF Marham in her capacity as Honorary Air Commodore of the Station, 2 February 2016.
72. HMT Queen arrives at the State Opening of Parliament, 18 May 2016.
73. & 74. Her Majesty The Queen presented a Guidon to The Royal Lancers during a ceremony in St George’s Hall, Windsor Castle, 5 April 2017.
75. & 76. Her Majesty The Queen, Colonel-in-Chief Scots Guards, inspects the 1st Battalion Scots Guards and F Company Scots Guards, 18 May 2017.
77. Seventy years after Her Father, King George VI, named the Royal Artillery’s Riding Troop as “The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery”; Her Majesty The Queen inspected The Troop on their anniversary parade in Hyde Park, 19 October 2017.
78. & 79. As Her Majesty The Queen made her arrival at the Naval Base today to bid farewell to HMS Ocean, a 21-gun salute was made in her honour to mark her arrival and to welcome her to the Naval Base, 27 March 2018.
80. & 81. Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales visited the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment in a joint engagement at Hyde Park Barracks today, 24 October 2017.
82. & 83. On Friday 2nd February 2018, Her Majesty The Queen visited RAF Marham in her capacity as Honorary Air Commodore of the Station.
84. — 86. Her Majesty The Queen visited Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth in Portsmouth on 22 May 2021, just hours before the UK Carrier Strike Group sailed for its first operational deployment.
87. & 88. Her Majesty the Queen enjoying the Birthday Parade in Windsor Castle. F Company Scots Guards Trooped the Colour of 2nd Battalion Scots Guards today in the Quadrangle at Windsor Castle, in a refined, socially distanced Queen’s Birthday Parade, 12 June 2021.
89. & 90. Her Majesty the Queen made her formal entry into Scotland with the Ceremony of the Keys in the Palace of Holyroodhouse in central Edinburgh, where she is presented the Keys to the City by Frank Ross, the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, 28 June 2021.
91. Her Majesty the Queen was met by an Honour Guard formed of soldiers from 5th Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland as she made her formal arrival at the Balmoral Estate, 9 August 2021.
92. & 93. The Royal Standard has been raised in Scotland as HM The Queen arrived to the sound of a Gun Salute from the ramparts of Edinburgh Castle and a Guard of Honour by soldiers of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, 27 June 2022.
94. & 95. The Armed Forces in Scotland have taken part in a rare Act of Loyalty for HM The Queen at Holyrood Palace to mark her Platinum Jubilee, 28 June 2022.
96. The Royal Family watch the RAF Flypast from the balcony of Buckingham Palace, 2 June 2022.
To read more about the UK Armed Forces’ involvement in commemorating the life of The Queen, head to:
