WINDSOR, England, (Reuters):QUEEN ELIZABETH, her fortunes revived after a tumultuous decade for the monarchy, was given a rousing reception by 20,000 cheering fans when she went on a walkabout yesterday to celebrate her 80th birthday.
Waving Union Jack flags and clutching bouquets, well wishers launched into an impromptu chorus of Happy Birthday as the beaming monarch stepped through Windsor Castle's Henry VIII gate to mark her octogenarian milestone.
Police put the numbers at over 20,000, a bigger turnout than the crowd for the wedding last year of her son and heir, Charles, to Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, after a tortuous 35-year romance.
With a decade to go before she rivals Queen Victoria's 64 years on the throne, the sprightly working grandmother shows no signs of slowing down and she has genes on her side her mother died at 101.
Crowned nearly 53 years ago, Europe's longest-serving monarch has ruled out abdication and opinion polls show republicans face a losing battle calling for the abolition of the monarchy while she is alive.
Ardent royalists pressed forward 10-deep against the crash barriers to offer their congratulations as the broadly smiling queen, wearing a fuchsia coat and feather hat, spent 45 minutes working the crowd.
"I am a fervent royalist. She will surely beat Queen Victoria's record. I am sure of that," said Jennifer Hawkins, clutching an inflatable corgi dog in honour of the queen's favourite canine.
Wheelchair-bound American Julia Real, who flew in from New York to share her own 80th birthday with the queen, said: "The best present for me is to see her."
Welshman Colin Edwards, sporting a Union Jack T-shirt and holding a birthday poem he specially wrote for the queen, said: "I've now done four royal weddings and two funerals. This royal watching really is like a drug. The adrenaline is amazing."
WINDSOR WALKABOUT
Among others lining the route in Windsor, west of London, was Margaret Kittle from Winona, Canada, who made a last-minute decision to fly over.
"I came over specially for it. I got the plane last night and took a cab straight from the airport," she told Reuters.
The queen, who has seen 10 British prime ministers take office during her reign, opted for a low-key day of celebrations.
On Friday evening, Charles is to host a private family dinner for his mother. The two are much closer now that his tangled love life has been sorted out.
