Her Royal Majesty was born on April 21, 1926, but she usually celebrates the event on the second Saturday of June, marked by a ceremony called Trooping the Colour. But due to the coronavirus pandemic, both of Queen Elizabeth’s birthdays could not be held as public celebrations this year, leading to the cancellation of the upcoming military parade in London.
When the nonagenarian turned a year older in April, it marked the 67th time she celebrated her birthday as a queen. According to BBC, the tradition of a double birthday started over 250 years ago during the reign of King George II in 1748. Though he was born in November, it was impossible to hold big, public celebrations at the time as the weather during this month is unideal to do so.
As a result, the king decided to commemorate his birthday during the summer, when the traditional military parade was held, because the weather was relatively nicer. Since then, Trooping the Colour has been a public spectacle, with most of the members of the royal family in attendance.
Typically, Queen Elizabeth’s birthday celebration is spent with the royal family, with gun salutes in different locations in London and U.K. being made by the Royal Horse Artillery. It is expected, however, that the sovereign will be having a low-key observance on June 13.
“The Queen will view a military ceremony in the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle to mark Her Majesty’s Official Birthday on Saturday, [June 13],” Buckingham Palace’s official statement read.
In April, Queen Elizabeth’s birthday didn’t see the royal family gathering together to mark the special event as usual. Instead, they made sure to stay away from each other as the threat of coronavirus had never been more evident. The monarch stayed at Windsor Castle in Berkshire with her 99-year-old husband, Prince Philip, to self-isolate after Prince Charles contracted COVID-19.
But despite the royal family members not meeting up in person, Queen Elizabeth was said to have talked to them via video call during her birthday in April. The bells in the Westminster Abbey weren’t heard as well on her special day, the first time it had happened, according to iNews.