The Queen braves the rain to enjoy horse ride in the grounds of Windsor Castle ahead of 70th wedding anniversary

The Queen braved the rain to enjoy a horse ride in the grounds of Windsor Castle ahead of her 70th wedding anniversary.

The 91-year-old monarch donned a full-length rain mac over riding gear as she rode her favourite black fell alongside Head Groom Terry Pendry.

Tomorrow marks 70 years since the Queen married the 96-year-old Duke of Edinburgh.

The pair will mark the occasion with private celebrations at their Windsor home.

On Saturday, the first in a series of portraits of the couple was released in celebration of the milestone.

The photographs, taken by British photographer Matt Holyoak, show Elizabeth II and Prince Philip standing side by side in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle in early November.

The 91-year-old monarch opted to wear the cream day dress by Angela Kelly that she also wore at the Diamond Wedding Anniversary thanksgiving service, along with a yellow gold, ruby and diamond 'Scarab' brooch, designed by Andrew Grima and gifted to the couple in 1966.

They are framed by Thomas Gainsborough's 1781 portraits of George III and Queen Charlotte, who were married for 57 years, and the Queen holds her hands clasped in front of her, while Prince Philip stands upright with his hands behind his back.

Mr Holyoak has worked with a host of British and Hollywood celebrities and his photos have regularly been splashed on the covers of magazine such as Harper's Bazaar, Shortlist and Dazed and Confused.

The photographs were taken for Camera Press, which also celebrates its anniversary 70 years after the agency distributed the royal pair's official wedding photos as its first assignment.

Elizabeth II, who married her consort at Westminster Abbey on November 20 1947, is the first British monarch to celebrate a platinum wedding anniversary.

Their enduring relationship has lasted the longest of any British sovereign, and Philip has been at the Queen's side throughout the decades, supporting her as she devotes herself to her duties as head of state.

The monarch, who was a 21-year-old princess when she walked up the aisle, is the nation's longest reigning sovereign, having overtaken the record set by Queen Victoria.

The 96-year-old newly retired Duke, who was 26 and fresh from serving for the Royal Navy in the Second World War when he wed, is the longest serving consort in British history.

Together they have celebrated the Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees of the Queen's reigns, and faced ups and downs over the years including the breakdown of three of their four children's marriages, and the backlash which followed the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.

With their family growing year by year, the Queen and Philip are preparing to welcome their sixth great-grandchild in April - a third child for the the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

They already have five great-grandchildren - Savannah and Isla Phillips, Mia Tindall, Prince George and Princess Charlotte - as well as eight grandchildren - Peter and Zara Phillips, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn - and their own four children the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex.

Celebrations for the Queen and Duke's 70th wedding anniversary will be a private affair at their request, markedly different from the public commemorations of the diamond wedding anniversary in 2007 which included a service of thanksgiving.

Close family and friends are gathering with the couple at Windsor Castle for a special private dinner on Monday evening.

Bells will also ring out at the historic London church where they said their vows.

At Westminster Abbey on Monday at 1pm, a team of 10 ringers will sound a full celebratory peal in tribute, lasting three hours and 20 minutes.