Prince Charles is organising a family dinner for The Queen at Kew Palace to mark her 80th birthday.
The celebration is on her actual anniversary Friday 21 April and afterwards Her Majesty and Prince Philip are expected to travel upstream to Windsor for the weekend.
The small Royal residence has been closed for a decade to allow for a careful restoration costing £6.6m. The interior of the riverside house is now looking much as it did when George III and Queen Charlotte lived there in the 18th century.
Items still retained include a glass bottle which contained rose-coloured mineral water from Spa in Belgium and enjoyed by an ailing George III.
The restored back garden, seen from the now raised Thames Path, was subject to flooding during King George’s time.
Queen Victoria’s parents were married in Kew Palace and in 1898 she opened it to visitors. The public will again be able to visit from Thursday 27 April; admission £5 (conc £4) in addition to the Kew Gardens admission charge of £11.75 (conc £8.75).