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THE Queen's birthday was formally celebrated on Thursday ; when her Majesty held a drawing-room. The Queen and the Prince arrived at St. James's Palace escorted by a party of Life Guards, and were received by the Lord Chamberlain and Lord Steward. The King and Queen of the Belgians were received by the Vice-Chamberlain, and were conducted to the Royal closet. The Dutchess of Kent, the Dutchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Dutchess of Cambridge, Prince George, and Prince Reuss Lobenstein Ebersdorff, joined the Royal party. The Lord Chancellor came in state, preceded by his purse-bearer and the Sergeantat-Arms of the Lords; the Speaker, in his gold robe, also came in state. The Judges wore their collars of office ; the Knights of the principal orders their collars. Before the drawing-room, the Archbishop of Canterbury, attended by the Archbishops of York and Dublin, and the Bishops of Loudon, Norwich, Bangor, Gloucester and Bristol, Ely, Oxford, Chester, Chichester, Rochester, and Ossory and Ferns, was ushered into the Royal closet, and presented to the Queen an address of congratulation from the clergy. The Queen and Prince, accompanied by the illustrious visitors, and attended by the Ministers and Officers of State, with a numerous suite, passed into the Throne-room. The diplomatic circle was first presented ; both that and the general circle were very numerously attended. The dresses of the ladies were splendid. The Queen wore a dress of pale pink and white state, with a head-dress of diamonds and feathers. After the drawing-room, the Queen and Prince returned to Buckingham Palace.
In the morning, the Grenadier Guards and Second Life Guards were inspected, on the Horse Guards parade, by Prince Albert, the King of the Belgians, the King of Hanover, and the Duke of Wellington.
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