Queen lights up first birthday beacon at Windsor

"Your majesty, mummy, I find it very hard to believe that you have reached your 90th year, and I suddenly realised the other day that I've known you since you were 22-years-old."

Prince Charles rounded off a long and busy day for the Queen with a touching tribute, before she lit the first of 1,000 beacons shining across the country to celebrate her 90th birthday.

Royal Editor Tim Ewart reports

• Queen lights up first birthday beacon at Windsor

The Queen has lit up the first in a network of 1,000 beacons set to shine across the country this evening to mark her 90th birthday.

Local authorities around the UK are hosting lighting events to create a network of flames in celebration.

Watch Prince Charles and crowds of well-wishers cheer on the monarch:

• Queen's 90th birthday celebrations

The Queen has thanked her fans for their birthday wishes on her official Twitter account.

The Queen said: "I send my best wishes to those who are celebrating their 90th birthday...on this shared occasion, I send my warm congratulations to you."

The British Monarchy Twitter page was also decorated with balloons that float across the page.

The Queen waved to the crowds celebrating her 90th birthday from the comfort of her Range Rover.

She had just undertaken a walk-about where she greeted fans, stopping frequently to collect an abundance of bouquets.

Royal enthusiasts singing happy birthday to the Queen couldn't come to a consensus on what to call her.

Half of the crowd appeared to chant "happy birthday Mrs Windsor" while others appeared to call her "the Queen". Fans then erupted in laughter as they realised their gaffe.

Jeremy Corbyn has joked that the Queen could be an Arsenal fan.

The Labour leader made the suggestion in the House of Commons, while wishing her a happy birthday.

He recalled the monarch's cancelled visit to the Arsenal football ground in 2006.

As the Queen could not attend the opening, the entire squad was invited to Buckingham Palace to meet her.