[Anglican Communion News Service] Celebrations to mark the Queen’s official 90th birthday began June 10 with a national service of thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London.

During the service, Queen Elizabeth II, who is the supreme governor of the Church of England, was praised for her “faithful devotion” to the country. The dean of St. Paul’s, the Very Rev. David Ison, mentioned her “gentle constancy, royal dignity and kindly humanity.”

A member of the Mothers’ Union from Wales, Hilda Price, who shares her birthday with the Queen, read a special prayer at the service, which was broadcast live on the BBC.

The Queen has been patron of Mothers’ Union since 1952 and has spoken openly about the importance of her Christian faith, but also by the way she has lived out that faith in service to Britain and the Commonwealth.

Speaking before the ceremony, Mothers’ Union Chief Executive Beverley Jullien said, “The Queen’s patronage gives a sense of solidarity in faith, commitment to family, and consistent values of service to others which inspire Mothers’ Union members across the generations. We’re delighted to be able to recognize dedicated volunteers from within our organization at the Patron’s Lunch, who emulate these values and have helped so many people through their volunteering.”

More than 400 Mothers’ Union members who were born in the same year as the Queen are pictured in a birthday card from the Mothers’ Union to her majesty. These include members in Australia, New Zealand, the West Indies, U.S., Uganda and South Africa as well as the U.K.

Celebrations continued throughout the weekend, with the annual Trooping the Colour on Horse Guards Parade on June 11 – the Queen’s official birthday – when there was also a flypast by the Royal Air Force.

On Sunday, June 12, the Queen hosted a street party for 10,000 people at the Patron’s Lunch – a celebration of her patronage of more than 600 organizations in the U.K. and around the Commonwealth. The Mall, in St. James’s Park, was be lined with picnic tables for the street party.

Nearly a million copies of a book celebrating the Queen and her Christian faith, called The Queen and the King She Serves, by Catherine Butcher and Mark Greene, have been printed. For details see: https://www.cpo.org.uk/range.aspx?range=4971&prod=V4971BT