London (CNN)The Duke of Cambridge has paid tribute to Queen
Elizabeth II on her 90th birthday for helping him cope with the loss of his
mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
"She's been a very
strong female influence," Prince William said on Sky News. "And
having lost my mother at a young age, it's been particularly important to me
that I've had somebody like the Queen to look up to and who's been there and
who has understood some of the more, um, complex issues when you lose a loved
one."READ: Queen Elizabeth's guide to globetrotting
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/04/20/travel/queen-elizabeth-travel/index.html
How is the Queen celebrating?
She plans to mark the day with a walkabout near her
main residence in Windsor, west of London, before lighting a
beacon relay in the evening.
Later in the summer, formal celebrations will be held
to mark her "official birthday," culminating with a national service
of Thanksgiving at St. Paul's Cathedral and a
giant picnic outside Buckingham
Palace for 10,000 guests.
On Wednesday, the monarch's celebrations began with
another first: an official photograph of four generations of royals, featuring
three future kings posing at Buckingham
Palace. The image of the
Queen, and Princes Charles, William and George will be on special
stamps issued to mark the Queen's life.
It's a milestone for 2-year-old Prince George, who
makes his "stamp" debut, his first of many to come, pictured standing
on a stack of blocks for a boost.
'Workshy William'
In contrast to the 64 years of service carried out by
his grandmother, Prince William answered criticism in a separate interview of
his commitment to royal duties -- he's been called "Workshy William"
by some UK
media -- saying he is willing to take on more responsibility when the time
comes.
"I take duty very seriously. I take my responsibilities very
seriously," he told the BBC. "But it's about finding your own way at
the right time and if you're not careful duty can sort of weigh you down an
awful lot at a very early age and I think you've got to develop into the duty
role."
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