Queen Elizabeth Spotted Out for a Drive on Her 96th Birthday in Bright Pink Lipstick!

Terry Harris/Shutterstock Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth was out and about on her 96th birthday.

While the palace told PEOPLE that the monarch would be celebrating her birthday privately, she was spotted going for a drive around her Sandringham estate on Thursday. Sitting in the passenger seat, the Queen gave a glimpse of her off-duty look, including bright pink lipstick, sunglasses and stud earrings.

On Wednesday, the monarch traveled from Windsor Castle to her Sandringham estate in Norfolk, about 110 miles north of London. The residence is full of reminders of her late husband, Prince Philip, who died in April 2021 at age 99. The Duke of Edinburgh spent much of his time at the cozy five-bedroom Wood Farm home on the Sandringham estate, which was modified in recent years to make it easier for him to get around, after he retired from public life in Aug. 2017. While the Queen remained largely at Buckingham Palace in London continuing her royal duties, her husband enjoyed life in the country with activities like carriage driving and painting.

Sandringham is where the Queen and the royal family traditionally celebrate Christmas.

"She doesn't have to be monarch there," a former staffer previously told PEOPLE of Sandringham. "She can be Elizabeth rather than the Queen."

RELATED: Queen Elizabeth Celebrates Her 96th Birthday with Her Most Majestic Photo Ever!

Terry Harris/Shutterstock Queen Elizabeth

The royal family marked the Queen's birthday by sharing meaningful photos on social media.

The official Royal Family Twitter and Instagram pages, which represent the Queen and other senior royal family members, got in on the fun by posting a black-and-white photo of the monarch in 1928 when she was just 2 years old. The then-Princess Elizabeth, with cute curls on top of her head, sweetly smiles for the camera while resting her head on both hands.

On Wednesday, the Royal Windsor Horse Show released a new photo of Queen Elizabeth to celebrate her birthday.

The majestic shot, which was taken last month on the grounds of Windsor Castle, shows the animal-loving Queen standing proudly between her fell ponies, Bybeck Katie and Bybeck Nightingale. She wears a dark green cape-style coat as she holds the reins of two of her favorite ponies in front of a magnolia tree.

henry dallal photography Queen Elizabeth

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The public celebration of Queen Elizabeth's birthday, known as Trooping the Colour, takes place in June. This year, Trooping the Colour — including the royal family gathering on the Buckingham Palace balcony to watch a flypast — will coincide with a weekend of festivities to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, celebrating her historic 70 years on the throne.