Robert Hardman has narrated this article for you to listen to.

Elizabeth II was never particularly enthusiastic about birthdays. They were a good excuse for a parade or an honours list, but not a patch on a major wedding anniversary, let alone a jubilee. Those were a celebration of true dedication, not of mere longevity. Even so, were she still with us, the late Queen would have acknowledged that her centenary on Tuesday is a big deal. It would also have created a delightful conundrum for the Buckingham Palace anniversaries office, the department that sends out 100th-birthday congratulations from the sovereign. At the start of her reign, she was sending 385 of those each year across all her realms (by telegram). By the end, it was over 16,000 (by card).

When her own mother reached 100 in the summer of 2000, the celebrations were tinged with disappointment. Having planned live coverage of the Queen Mother’s centenary pageant, the BBC scrapped the idea late in the day. Director-general Greg Dyke and his minions, then in thrall to Tony Blair’s ‘Cool Britannia’ vibe, thought it was all a bit passé and, besides, the timings would mean shunting Neighbours........

© The Spectator