In pictures: Queen Elizabeth II at 90 in 90 images

On 21 April the Queen celebrates her 90th birthday and to mark the event we present an image from the archives of the Press Association from every year of her life.

Elizabeth was born on 21 April 1926 in London, the first child of Albert, Duke of York, and his wife, formerly Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.

The future Queen was soon introduced to her subjects, who came to see her on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. She is seen here with her parents alongside King George V and Queen Mary.

The well-known royal wave was also in evidence early on.

Princess Elizabeth is seen here being taken out in a park. Her parents kept with the tradition of not taking their children on royal tours.

The young princess was pictured here arriving at Olympia for the Royal Tournament.

In 1931 she attended the wedding of Lady May Cambridge and Capt Henry Abel Smith at Balcombe in Sussex.

A confident princess strides home in the rain.

Both Elizabeth and her sister, Margaret Rose, who was born in 1930, were educated at home.

Elizabeth is back at Olympia for the International Horse Show with her sister and the Duchess of York.

The young Princess Elizabeth was called Lilibet by her family. Her cousin Margaret Rhodes said she was "a jolly little girl, but fundamentally sensible and well-behaved".

She is pictured here shaking hands on arrival at the Royal Tournament with her family.

The future Queen is seen with her mother, then Queen Elizabeth, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, after the Coronation of her father as King George VI.

A year before World War Two engulfed Europe, the Royal Family posed for a picture.

The royal sisters launch a model seaplane at the Bekonscot model village in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire.

In 1940, Princess Elizabeth, 14, featured in a radio programme called Children's Hour. She sent her best wishes to the children who had been evacuated from Britain to America, Canada and elsewhere as Britain was suffering the worst of the Blitz during World War Two. This is the earliest recording of the future Queen in the BBC archives.

It was suggested that the Royal Family should seek safety abroad, specifically in Canada, but the King and Queen would have none of it. The children were moved to Windsor Castle. "We went for a weekend and stayed five years," they said.

Elizabeth is seen here in her Girl Guide uniform. She became a Guide in 1937, her sister, Princess Margaret enrolled as a Brownie and their mother became the Patron of the Girl Guides. During World War Two, Princess Elizabeth did her part to boost public morale.

Princess Elizabeth visited the military camp at Bulford in Wiltshire with King George VI, who is pictured with Brig Hugh Kindersley.

Princess Elizabeth visited the National Sea Scouts Exhibition at the London Scottish Headquarters in Buckingham Gate.

In the final year of the war, Elizabeth donned a uniform herself, joining the Auxiliary Territorial Service - the ATS. She spent three weeks with a carefully chosen group of other recruits, learning basic motor mechanics and how to drive a lorry.

Elizabeth lays a wreath at the Cenotaph in London on Remembrance Sunday.

On 20 November 1947 she married her third cousin, Prince Philip of Greece, at Westminster Abbey.

Their first child, Charles, was born in 1948.

The young couple enjoyed a relatively normal life for a number of years. Here Princess Elizabeth opens a holiday centre for young people at Avon Tyrell, Hampshire.

In 1950 Charles's sister Anne was born.

Elizabeth and Philip lived with their children in Clarence House, London, but her father was terminally ill with lung cancer.

In February 1952, while staying at a game lodge in Kenya, Elizabeth heard of the death of the King. She immediately returned to London as the new Queen.

Her Coronation in June 1953 was televised and millions gathered around TV sets, many of them for the first time, to watch as Queen Elizabeth II made her oath.

Following her Coronation, the new Queen set off on a tour of the Commonwealth and is seen here on her return, once more on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill welcomes the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to 10 Downing Street for dinner.

Elizabeth with her corgi by her side strolls through Windsor Great Park with Prince Charles to watch the Duke of Edinburgh play polo.

She is seen here in the Long Library at Sandringham after making the first televised Christmas Day broadcast to the nation. Elizabeth is holding the copy of Pilgrim's Progress from which she read a few lines during her message.

The Queen is seen here during a visit to Rothes Colliery, Fife. It was her first visit to a coal mine and she spent about half an hour underground at the coalface.

The royal couple are joined by Sugar, one of their corgis, at Windsor.

Prince Andrew was the first child to be born to a reigning monarch for 103 years.

With the Prince of Wales out riding at Windsor Castle.

The leopard-skin coat worn at a Sandown Park race meeting has since been consigned to the wardrobe after conservationists urged her not to wear it - but she has been spotted in other fur coats and hats over the years.

Riding side-saddle, the Queen returns to Buckingham Palace after attending the Trooping the Colour ceremony on Horse Guards Parade. She has appeared at her annual birthday parade every year of her reign, except for 1955 when a national rail strike cancelled the event. She began riding in a carriage in 1987.

At home and abroad, the Queen had to maintain political neutrality, but she was making her own mark on the role of monarch.

The Royal Family gather for a picture in the gardens of Frogmore House, Windsor, as they celebrate the Queen's 39th birthday. Prince Edward was born the previous year and the same pram that carries him here was used to ferry the Queen's great-granddaughter Princess Charlotte to her christening in July 2015.

England captain Bobby Moore holds the Jules Rimet Trophy, collected from Queen Elizabeth II, after leading his team to a 4-2 victory over West Germany in the World Cup Final at Wembley.

The Queen at the garden party in the grounds of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, to mark the 50th anniversary of women in active service.

Another royal portrait at Frogmore House in Windsor.

Queen Elizabeth II formally invests her son Prince Charles with the Coronet of the Prince of Wales during a ceremony at Caernarfon Castle. He actually took on the title when he was nine, but the Queen insisted the ceremony should wait until he fully understood its significance.

Queen Elizabeth II with Prime Minister Edward Heath (second right) and American President Richard Nixon and his wife Pat Nixon at Chequers, Buckinghamshire. Since the Queen came to the throne, there have been 12 US presidents and she has met every one except Lyndon B Johnson.

Elizabeth leaves the King Edward VII Hospital for Officers after visiting Princess Anne, who had undergone an emergency operation.

The Queen in her study at Balmoral in the year of her silver wedding anniversary. Even when she is away from London, in residence at Balmoral or Sandringham, the Queen receives official papers nearly every day and her working day begins at her desk.

Sitting with her corgis at Virginia Water to watch competitors, including Prince Philip, in the Marathon of the European Driving Championship, part of the Royal Windsor Horse Show. The Queen has owned more than 30 corgis, with many of them direct descendants from her first one, Susan. Now she has only two - Holly and Willow - but does not plan to get any more.

Elizabeth celebrates her 48th birthday at Windsor Castle.

The Queen is seen beside an oak sapling which she planted in the garden of the government guesthouse in Tokyo, after it had been brought to Japan from Windsor Castle. Tree planting is a staple part of royal duties and the monarch has planted hundreds all over the world during her reign.

On her 50th birthday, she was photographed with her husband and their youngest son Prince Edward, 12, in the grounds of Windsor Castle.

The Queen marked 25 years on the throne with a busy UK tour - visiting 36 counties over 10 weeks, as well as travelling 56,000 miles around the world in celebration.

Queen Elizabeth II with a Jersey cow presented to her at the Country Show at Le Petit Catelet, Saint John, Jersey. An exotic range of live animals has been given to the Queen as gifts over the years, including a canary from Germany, jaguars and sloths from Brazil, two black beavers from Canada, two young giant turtles from the Seychelles and an elephant called Jumbo from Cameroon. They were placed in the care of London Zoo.

In 1979 she visited Oman, and is seen here during a walkabout in Muscat.

The Queen and some of her corgis walk the cross country course during the second day of the Windsor Horse Trials.

The monarch usually attends the Royal Ascot race meeting each year and has owned 22 winners.

The Queen often gets behind the lens herself to take photos of the Duke of Edinburgh carriage driving and while on tour. Here she is taking photographs with her gold Rollei camera during her visit to the South Sea islands of Tuvalu.

Elizabeth inspecting the Guard of Honour at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Kenya. The Queen has visited all 53 Commonwealth nations except two recent joiners, Cameroon and Rwanda.

A formal picture of the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince William, Prince Harry and the Prince and Princess of Wales after the christening ceremony of Prince Harry. The Queen has eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Queen Elizabeth II taking the salute of the Household Guards regiments during the Trooping the Colour ceremony in London.

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh at the Bedaling Pass, on the Great Wall of China, on the third day of their state visit to the country. No British monarch had ever travelled to mainland China, let alone walked the Great Wall so the Queen's trip in October 1986 made history.

During her Christmas broadcast that year she remembered those affected by the IRA bombing of a Remembrance Day service in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh.

The Duke of Edinburgh helping Queen Elizabeth II to alight from the new £120,000 Australia State Coach, Australia's bicentennial gift.

The Queen with US President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy at Buckingham Palace in London. The Queen and the former film star shared a love of horses and were once pictured riding together at Windsor.

Queen Elizabeth II at Ascot for the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes.

Queen Elizabeth II gesturing to Ruud Lubbers, Prime Minister of the Netherlands and President of the EC Council of Ministers, to sit on an empty chair as the leaders of the G7 Summit countries gathered for a pre-dinner photocall in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace.

Queen Elizabeth II surveying the scene at Windsor Castle following a fire. She dubbed the year her "annus horribilis" as it also saw the Princess Royal divorce and both the Duke and Duchess of York and the Prince and Princess of Wales separate.

The Queen, with Chief Instructor Lt Col George Harvey, firing a standard SA 80 rifle when she attended the centenary of the Army Rifle Association at Bisley.

The Queen took part in events to mark the 50th anniversary of D-Day. She is seen here at Bayeux Cemetery after a commemoration service.

South Africa's President Nelson Mandela greets Queen Elizabeth II as she steps from the royal yacht Britannia in Cape Town at the official start of her first visit to the country since 1947.

Queen Elizabeth II lays a wreath at the gates of Dunblane Primary School after one of the deadliest firearms incidents in UK history. Gunman Thomas Hamilton killed 16 children and one teacher at the school near Stirling on 13 March.

Following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in a car accident, the Royal Family grieved in private. However, the public reaction to Diana's death led to accusations the Queen was unresponsive and out of touch with the public mood. The swell of anger had shocked the Queen and she admitted there were "lessons to be drawn from her life and the extraordinary public reaction to her death".

Queen Elizabeth II, Colonel-in-Chief of the Corps of the Royal Engineers, looking through a theodolite during her visit to the 42 Engineer Regiment at Denison Barracks in Hermitage, Berkshire.

The Queen joining Mrs Susan McCarron (far left) for tea in her home in the Castlemilk area of Glasgow, as the Royal Family experimented with a more intimate, informal approach to meeting the public. The monarch is a fan of Earl Grey tea with milk, but no sugar.

Queen Elizabeth II and the Queen Mother leaving church by horse-drawn carriage on the Sandringham Estate, Norfolk. The Queen was close to her mother and they shared a passion for everything equestrian and enjoyed talking about the turf.

Queen Elizabeth II in the Queen Vic pub during a visit to Elstree Studios where EastEnders is filmed. She was accompanied by long-standing cast member Barbara Windsor (Peggy Mitchell) and Steve McFadden, who played her character's son, Phil.

David Beckham and Kirsty Howard hand the Queen's Jubilee Baton to Queen Elizabeth II after its final leg around the city of Manchester stadium, at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games. Kirsty was born with a with a back-to-front heart and given just weeks to live at the age of four. She defied the odds and lived until 2015, having raised millions of pounds for Francis House children's hospice in Manchester.

Queen Elizabeth II and Berry the corgi with the England rugby squad, at a reception at Buckingham Palace to celebrate winning the Rugby World Cup.

Elizabeth was caught by the camera as she glanced around a corner during a visit to the Royal Albert Hall, which had just undergone an eight-year restoration programme.

The Prince of Wales leaving St George's Chapel in Windsor after marrying Camilla Parker-Bowles. Queen Elizabeth II attended their religious blessing but was not present at their civil ceremony. The monarch told guests in a speech at the wedding reception that her son was "home and dry with the woman he loves".

In the Regency Room at Buckingham Palace in London looking at some of the cards sent to her for her 80th birthday.

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh revisiting Broadlands in Hampshire, where they spent their wedding night in November 1947, to mark their diamond wedding anniversary.

Queen Elizabeth II addresses a banquet at Windsor Castle at the start of a two-day state visit by President Sarkozy of France.

Planting a tree at Newmarket Animal Health Trust during a royal visit that marked her 50th year as the charity's patron.

Queen Elizabeth II talking with Pope Benedict XVI in the Morning Drawing Room at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh during a four-day visit by the Pope to the UK.

During a visit to the National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire, the Queen laid a wreath next to a section of the Armed Forces Memorial where the names of those killed in 2010 are inscribed. The memorial bears the names of more than 15,000 servicemen and women killed on duty since the end of World War Two.

On stage outside Buckingham Palace with Charles, Camilla and a host of pop stars at the Diamond Jubilee concert during celebrations to mark her 60 years as sovereign.

Queen Elizabeth II joining The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (5 SCOTS) for a group photograph during her visit to Howe Barracks in Canterbury, Kent.

Actress Angelina Jolie being presented with the Insignia of an Honorary Dame Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George by Queen Elizabeth II in the 1844 Room at Buckingham Palace.

At 17:30 on 9 September 2015, Elizabeth had reigned for 23,226 days, 16 hours and approximately 30 minutes - surpassing the reign of her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria. She spent the day in Scotland, thanking well-wishers at home and overseas for their "touching messages of kindness". With Prince Philip she travelled by steam train from Edinburgh to Tweedbank, where she formally opened the new £294m Scottish Borders Railway.

Ninety years in 90 pictures. Happy birthday, Your Majesty.

All photographs © Press Association

Some of these images appeared before in a picture gallery when the Queen became the longest-reigning monarch in British history.