It wasn’t quite the Mall in London, but the Queen managed to celebrate her 94th birthday on Saturday despite the coronavirus lockdown. With Her Majesty and the government’s blessing, Buckingham Palace organized a military ceremony in the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle to mark the Queen’s official birthday.
The monarch has two birthdays—her actual birthday is on April 21, and her official birthday is traditionally marked in public with the enormous Trooping the Colour military parade. One of the highlights of the royal calendar, the annual parade is a military spectacular with a an RAF flypast watched by members of the royal family from the famous balcony of Buckingham Palace.
Usually the crowds are out in force, but well-wishers were asked not to visit Windsor on Saturday and instead stay home to watch the service, which was broadcast on the BBC.
This year’s military ceremony was a low-key event compared to Trooping the Colour, but the Queen was keen to mark the occasion and viewed the ceremony from the quadrangle at Windsor Castle, where she and Prince Philip remain in isolation. Earlier this week the couple were photographed together for a rare portrait to celebrate Philip’s 99th birthday. However the Duke did not join the Queen for today’s ceremony. He has not attended Trooping the Colour since he retired from public life in 2017.
The Queen received the Royal Salute upon entering the quadrangle at exactly 11 am and observed a series of military drills. The ceremony was executed by soldiers from the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards who are currently on guard at Windsor Castle and featured music performed by a band of the Household Division.
Palace aides were also keen for Her Majesty to stay at Windsor, where she is being cared for by a round-the-clock team of staff know internally as HMS Bubble. Saturday’s military service was deemed the perfect compromise enabling the Queen to remain in Windsor with social distancing in place at all times.
The Welsh Guards, whose color was trooped at today’s service, are currently stationed at Windsor Castle, and have played a key role in the military response to the Covid-19 pandemic over the past months.
A small team of media was also allowed at the event as the palace prepares to put plans in motion for members of the Royal Family to start attending certain engagements. This is the Queen’s first public engagement since the lockdown and while the palace has cancelled the Queen’s spring and summer program from Royal Ascot to her garden parties, it is hoped that she will resume public duties as soon as government guidelines permit her to.
Meanwhile it was reported yesterday that Prince Charles and Camilla are set to return to work next week for their first royal engagement in person, having spent the lockdown in isolation in Scotland. They will receive the French President Emmanuel Macron at Clarence House next week, while Princess Anne is also scheduled to resume her schedule.
Meanwhile European royals are already back to work, with Princess Letizia of Spain and King Felipe VI carrying out engagements in Madrid this week without wearing protective face masks. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands has also resumed her schedule of public engagements as has Princess Mary of Denmark.
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