Queen hails vintage 1926 as thousands wish her happy 90th birthday

The Queen has declared 1926 - the year she was born - a vintage year as well-wishers turned out in their thousands to wish her a happy 90th birthday.

With the Duke of Edinburgh by her side, the Queen went on a walkabout in Windsor and received armfuls of cards, bouquets of flowers and even a cake as she acknowledged the greetings of the crowds.

The royal fans who lined crash barriers around the town centre broke into spontaneous renditions of Happy Birthday and applause as they caught sight of the monarch.

And when the Queen met a group of fellow nonagenarians - all born in 1926 - Rosamund Fulawaka, whose 90th birthday was on April 10, said she told them: "You were all born in a lovely vintage year."

There were a few famous faces among the crowds, from the Gogglebox stars Sandra and Sandy, to reality TV celebrity Joey Essex and television chef Mary Berry.

The event was part of an unveiling ceremony at the foot of Castle Hill in Windsor that formally marked the launch of the Queen's Walkway .

The walkway - a four-mile self-guided walking trail of Windsor by the Outdoor Trust - has been created in honour of the Queen becoming the country's longest reigning monarch.

Historian Hugo Vickers, the Outdoor Trust's chairman, helped the sovereign remove the cloth from a large temporary display board in the middle of a main road and she remarked it was a "lovely day".

Mr Vickers said: "She was terribly happy with the beautiful weather and the lovely occasion. She said it was a lovely day."

He added: "She loved the panel. Prince Philip said it wouldn't last long if we left it there."