For the first time in nine years, the Queen and Prince Philip paid a visit to 10 Downing Street. Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha invited the Duke of Edinburgh for a special 90th birthday lunch of stilton and watercress tarts, roast Scottish beef, and peaches with ice cream. Samantha encouraged the ever modest Philip to step out from the background and pose for a photo on the doorstep of their London residence. There was no discussion of politics and the lunch remained a light-hearted celebration of the Prince's landmark birthday.
The PM recently displayed his affection for the Duke in a House of Commons speech describing him as a man with a "down-to-earth, no nonsense approach that the British people often find enduring."
After listing his many humanitarian and military acheivments, Mr Cameron cut the speech short because, quoting Philip, "the mind cannot absorb what the backside cannot endure." The royal family gathered for the official celebration at Windsor castle earlier this month
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| The welcoming party |
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| David Cameron greeting the Queen |
