Elizabeth, Britain’s longest-reigning and longest-lived monarch, was born on April 21, 1926, ​going on to spend 70 years on the throne before her death in September 2022 ​at the age of 96.

Such is her enduring impact that a YouGov survey ⁠last week found that 81% of those polled had a positive opinion of her, more than ​any living member of the royal family.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody have a sense of ​duty like she had,” Charles’ wife, Queen Camilla, told a BBC documentary broadcast on Sunday.

“It must have been so difficult, being surrounded by much older men,” Camilla said of Elizabeth’s accession to the throne in 1952, aged 25.

“There weren’t ​any women prime ministers or women presidents. She was the only one, so I think she carved ​her own role.”

To mark the anniversary of her birth, Charles and Camilla will visit a new exhibition, “Queen Elizabeth II: ‌Her Life ⁠in Style”, which is currently being held at Buckingham Palace.

More than 300 items, ranging from the late queen’s wedding dress to the outfit she wore for her cameo appearance at the opening of the London 2012 Olympics, are on display in the largest-ever exhibition of her wardrobe.

Famed for wearing bright ​colours and matching hats, she ​once quipped: “I have ⁠to be seen to be believed.”

On Tuesday, the king and other royals will visit the British Museum to view the final designs for a national ​memorial to his mother, while Charles’ sister, Princess Anne, will officially open the ​Queen Elizabeth ⁠II Garden in London’s Regent’s Park.

In the evening, Charles and Camilla will host a reception featuring representatives from charities his mother supported, as well as several people who will be celebrating their 100th ⁠birthday.

The royals’ ​commemorations come after the government announced on Sunday that a ​new independent charity, the Queen Elizabeth Trust, was being launched to focus on restoring shared spaces in communities, backed by 40 ​million pounds, with the king as its patron.