Rare childhood photo of the Queen shows off her adorable curls and cheeky pose in celebration of her 96th birthday

A rare childhood photo of Her Majesty the Queen has delighted fans as the Queen celebrates her 96th birthday by reflecting on her childhood.

• The Queen celebrates her 96th birthday on April 21, 2022.
• Her Majesty has caught the attention of fans with an adorable photo of herself as a two-year-old.
• In other royal news, why does the Queen have two birthdays? All you need to know as she celebrates her 96th.

The celebrations for the Queen's 96th birthday have begun with the Royal Family releasing an unseen image of Her Majesty the Queen as a child.

The image showed Her Majesty as a two-year-old with bouncing blonde curls and an adorable cheeky grin. The caption of the post read, "🎂 Happy Birthday Your Majesty! Today as The Queen turns 96, we’re sharing this photograph taken when she was 2-years-old."

The caption then gave some context to the photo and explained that this image was taken long before the Princess was Queen and at that point, her uncle King Edward VIII had yet to abdicate, so the Princess was much further down in the royal line of succession. 

"Then Princess Elizabeth, she was the eldest daughter of The Duke and Duchess of York and was never expected to become Queen. Her life changed in 1936 when her uncle, King Edward VIII abdicated, her father became King George VI and the young Princess became the heir presumptive," read the post.

The caption then sadly explained that the Queen owes her long reign to her dear father's early death. "Following the sad death of her father in 1952, Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II aged just 25, and this year is celebrating 70 years on the throne - a first in British history," said the bittersweet post.

Fans loved this image of the young Queen and many swarmed to wish her well on her 96th birthday. This is just the first of the Queen's birthdays as famously, the Queen has two birthdays each year.

For many fans, this is a rare image of the Queen and many are unfamiliar with the images of the 96-year-old monarch as a baby. It was also clear from the image that the Queen has always had delightful curls, and although her hair may now be pure white, Her Majesty was once an adorable blonde tot.