Further events to celebrate The Queen's 80th birthday

THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT IS ISSUED BY THE PRESS SECRETARY TO THE QUEEN

The Queen will be going on a walkabout to meet members of the public outside Windsor Castle on her 80th birthday, amongst other engagements during the week of her birthday.

To mark The Queen's 80th birthday, an official birthday web site is launched today; this web site includes e-photo albums containing over 160 images of The Queen's life and times.

Also launched today is a two-metre birthday time line wall chart, aimed primarily at schools, which traces The Queen's life alongside many of the contemporary events over the eight decades of her life.

Thursday 20th April

The Queen will visit the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, to mark the 80th anniversary of the granting of the Institute's Royal Charter.

The Queen will then visit the BBC to mark the 80th anniversary of the granting of the Corporation's Royal Charter, and will reopen Broadcasting House, Portland Place.

Friday 21st April

The Queen, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, will meet members of the public on a walkabout outside Windsor Castle on the morning of her birthday, before later attending a birthday dinner hosted by The Prince of Wales.

Birthday web site

A special web site to mark The Queen's 80th birthday has been launched today. The site, which can be found at www.royal.gov.uk/queen80, provides information about events taking place to celebrate The Queen's actual and official birthdays.

Features include a series of interactive galleries illustrating The Queen's life in decades, plus archive items such as Princess Elizabeth's birth certificate and her first letter to her grandmother, Queen Mary.

There is also a quiz on The Queen's life and an online page enabling visitors to send a birthday greeting to The Queen, if they so wish.

Birthday time line

A commemorative timeline, in the form of a two-metre wall chart produced primarily for schools, is also launched today. Filled with illustrations, the timeline shows some of the many historic events and social changes which have taken place within the last 80 years, from the first trans-Atlantic flight to London's winning bid for the 2012 Olympics. These are shown alongside key events from The Queen's life.

The wall charts are available free of charge, and can be obtained from Buckingham Palace Information Office at Information Office (Schools Timeline), Buckingham Palace, London SW1A 1AA, or send an email to [email protected]