British royals mark what would have been late queen's 100th birthday

LONDON, United Kingdom - King Charles visited an exhibition dedicated to his late mother's fashion on Monday, the first in a number of events which the British royals will attend to mark what would have been the late Queen Elizabeth's 100th birthday on Tuesday.

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 of British people 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, said in 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 at the age of 25. "There weren't women prime ministers or women presidents. She was the only one, so I think she carved her own role."

Robert Hardman, the royal author who this month published a new biography of Elizabeth to mark her centenary, attributed her enduring appeal to her "timelessness."

"There was a real sense that she connected with history, but that she was also in touch with the present and that made her, I think, uniquely appealing to all ages," he told Reuters.

To mark the anniversary of her birth, Charles and Camilla visited 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."

The king and other royals are to visit the British Museum on Tuesday 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 people 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 ($54 million) with the king as its patron. ($1 = 0.7402 pounds) — Reuters