Ministry of Defence
As a 25-year-old electronics technician in the Army I didnt think I had much in common with The Queen at all, writes Rebecca, but it turns out theres more than I thought.
For a start, we have the same birthday 21 April. I dont know what The Queen will be doing for hers this year but Im going to be on a battlefield tour in France.
And during the Second World War, she rolled up her sleeves and got her hands dirty serving as a mechanic in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) doing a job just like mine.
My job involves diagnosing and fixing electrical problems with the Challenger 2 main battle tank. Its a dirty job and your hands are permanently black but someone has to do it and I wouldnt do anything else.
I think its admirable that during the war Princess Elizabeth joined the ATS. She was 18 and by the end of the war she reached the rank of Junior Commander and passed out as a fully qualified driver.
Its important that on her 90th birthday our nation pays tribute to what she did during that time. Its good to know that our Queen mucked in for the country.
For me, its nice to know that we did a similar job all those years apart, and that we share the same birthday is a nice connection. This job isnt one that many people would want to do its dirty, and theres a lot of time spent on exercise living in a field. So the fact The Queen did it in the military is extraordinary.
Its an interesting side to her character. She could have got a job anywhere, doing something far more comfortable but she chose the life of overalls and elbow grease and I dont blame her.
What does The Queen have in common with this Army tank technician?
I love my job. I got here after a lot of training, having joined the Army because I wanted a career where I can do different things every day. I always knew I wanted to join the Armed Forces, it was just a matter of when. I was going to join the Royal Air Force but I met a guy called Sergeant Matt Telford, who said I should look at joining the Army.
He told me that I shouldnt join until I was ready and 100 per cent committed to it. Until that moment there was no point, he said, because you should be ready to commit yourself.
While serving in Afghanistan in 2009, Matt was shot and killed. I was in the Middle East at the time, teaching at an international school in Qatar. When I heard the news, I came home and joined up straight away. I had been in my own world, doing my own thing, and it made me realise I needed to crack on with my life and get things done.
People who knew me back home knew a slightly different me and they said I couldnt do it. They laughed at the idea of me doing as I was told and taking orders. But I knew it was what I wanted to do and I didnt let anything get in the way.
I knew I wanted to work on tanks, after I saw the Challenger 2 I decided it was what I wanted to work on and Ive loved it ever since. My job is to support the tanks electronics. The tanks have objectives to meet and its the job of me and my colleagues to support them and keep them running if anything goes wrong.
It takes a lot to get this far, there are a lot of tests and training you have to go through before you qualify to do the job but it was worth the effort.
So when I celebrate turning 25 this year, Ill be remembering my special connection to The Queen, wishing her a happy birthday and a job well done.