The Queen’s 90th Birthday Celebrated in Georgetown

The British International School of Washington hosted a garden party June 10 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday. According to the Georgetown private school’s marketing director Jennifer Clarke, the event raised $1,500 for Levine Music, the nonprofit community music school, by selling “hand-crusted royal cookies” freshly baked by District Desserts and a raffle for DC United tickets.

Britain’s longest-serving monarch has devoted more than 64 years of service to the arts community, and BISW is committed to performing-arts educational programs developed by the Juilliard School in collaboration with Nord Anglia education.

Guests were entertained by arts-and-crafts, a Punch & Judy puppet show, a soccer competition and a live stream of a field trip to Windsor Castle. Attendees dressed in colorful hats strolled through the campus drinking lemonade and eating small sandwiches.

Children marveled at the ornate custom-designed hats by Ludi Hettick. A selfie station was set up where both children and adults tried on masks of the Queen, Prince Harry and Kate Middleton. British Ambassador Kim Darroch sang “God Save the Queen” with the children, embassy leaders and community members.

“It’s very nice to see such a wide range of nationalities in the international school all playing so happily together,” Darroch said.