The Queen celebrates her 92nd birthday with a concert at the Royal Albert Hall

On the day she turned 21, the then Princess Elizabeth pledged to dedicated her life to serving the Commonwealth, in what has become one of the best-known and most moving public declarations of her long reign.

Surrounded by her family, at the close of a week that has cemented her Commonwealth legacy for a new generation, the Queen celebrated her 92nd birthday in some style, with a Royal Albert Hall concert designed to honour all she has done for her country.

With a line-up of music from each decade of her reign, the concert marked not just, as Her Majesty put it, “another birthday”, but the culmination of a lively week which brought all corners of the Commonwealth to London.

Introducing the evening the Prince of Wales led the birthday wishes with a touching written tribute to his mother.

“While all birthdays are special, this year, the Queen’s birthday falls at the end of the week-long Commonwealth Summit in London, which has brought together 53 countries.

“Tonight we reflect on the pledge made by the Queen on her 21st birthday in 1947 in South Africa, to serve the Commonwealth for her whole life.

“With my father, the Duke of Edinburgh, at her side, the Queen has dedicated herself, throughout her reign, to serving the United Kingdom and the other countries of the Commonwealth.

“Tonight we pay tribute to her devotion to duty, her steadfastness in times of uncertainty, and her vital role in uniting people from all walks of life through her enduring strength and humanity.

“With my family, I join you in wishing my mother, the Queen, a very happy birthday.”

The Royal Family were out in force once more, after spending the week dropping in to forums, roundtables and Buckingham Palace receptions to lend their support to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

The Saturday night concert saw the Queen flanked by her son and heir, the Prince of Wales, who was this week secured in the position as the next Head of Commonwealth.

Her grandsons, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, joined them, with Meghan Markle, who will become the newest member of the Queen’s Family at her Windsor Castle wedding in May.

Also in attendance The Princess Royal and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.

The Duchess of Cambridge, who is expecting her third child any day now, stayed at home with Prince George and Princess Charlotte, able to watch the show on television along with millions of others from the comfort of her own sofa.

Quite what the Queen, famously inscrutable, thinks of some acts may remain a mystery, with performers from Sir Tom Jones to Kylie Minogue, a semi-finalist from The Voice UK and the rather unlikely duo of Sting and Shaggy.

Chosen to represent the full breadth of the Commonwealth, from Canadian Shawn Mendes to South African male choir Ladysmith Black Mambazo, some members of the line-up may have been more familiar to the Queen's grandchildren than her own generation. 

But concert organisers were sure to be on safe ground with songs from Oklahoma and a ukulele performance from 40 members of the George Formby Society.

Formby himself is known to have been invited to play for Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret at Buckingham Palace when they were children, with the Queen rumoured to have once triumphantly claimed: “I know all his songs and I can sing them.”

Prince Harry is expected to speak at the event, in his new role as president of The Queen's Commonwealth Trust and Commonwealth Youth Ambassador.

The event was organised by the Royal Commonwealth Society, which has the Queen as patron and is 150 years old this year, and hosted for the BBC by Zoe Ball, who described it as “what must surely be the best birthday party ever”.