(4 Aug 1999) English/Nat
Britain's Queen Mother celebrated her 99th birthday in front of crowds of cheering well wishers in London.
About five-thousand people gathered outside her official residence, Clarence House, on Wednesday to see the royal whose life spans the century.
Many had waited since early in the morning.
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00:02
Britain's Queen Mother, more fondly referred to as the 'Queen Mum,' emerged from her home at London's Clarence House on Wednesday for birthday wishes from the public.
Thousands of well-wishers came to wish the Queen Mother well in marking her 99th birthday, making her as old as the century itself.
00:18
To mark the royal occasion, the band of the Welsh Guards marched past playing the birthday song for the royal family's reigning matriarch.
The crowd, many of whom had waited for hours at the gates, gave warm cheers to honour one of the Windsor family's most popular royals.
The Queen Mother stood firmly, declining the offer to sit down for the ceremony and aided only by her silver-handled cane.
00:41
She was presented with scores of birthday cards and bouquets from the crowd.
Nearly five-thousand admirers came, both Britons and curious tourists always eager to catch a rare glimpse of a member of the British royal family.
00:56
Then the Queen Mother made a sprightly walk over to the waiting crowd to chat and shake hands.
The birthday was truly a national event, with B-B-C television playing the national anthem on their news bulletins as a form of tribute.
The Queen Mother was joined by other royals to mark her birthday with a family lunch, which included her daughter Queen Elizabeth the Second, Prince Charles and his two sons, Princes William and Harry.
01:22 vision ends
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