The Queen’s official birthday will be marked with a ‘small’ military ceremony at Windsor Castle in what will be her first official event since lockdown began
- Palace spokesman confirmed event will take place this month at Windsor Castle
- It is hoped the Queen will attend the military event as her first since lockdown
- Event will involve troops from the Welsh Guards who will perform a royal salute
The Queen is expected to attend the first major royal event since the lockdown began with celebrations marking her official birthday.
Buckingham Palace has confirmed a small military ceremony will take place later this month at at Windsor Castle in honour of the Queen’s 94th birthday.
The monarch was last seen at a major event on March 9 when she attended the Westminster Abbey Commonwealth Day service.
A palace spokesman confirmed the new anniversary celebration, saying: ‘There will be a small, brief military ceremony at Windsor Castle to mark the Queen’s official birthday.’
The Queen, pictured opening a London hospital in February, is expected to attend the first major royal event since the lockdown began with celebrations marking her official birthday
The June event replaces Trooping the Colour, the national celebration of the Queen’s official birthday which traditionally is staged every year. Her Majesty is pictured with Prince Philip traveling to the event last year
The royal family have followed the Government’s orders on movement restrictions and social distancing like the rest of the country.
They have limited their interactions with the public to videocall meetings with their charitable interests or frontline and key workers.
But it is hoped the Queen will attend the military event at Windsor Castle where she has been isolating during lockdown with Prince Philip, 98.
The military event will be staged on Saturday June 13 and involve troops from the Welsh Guards who will perform a royal salute in the castle’s quadrangle.
The monarch was last seen at a major event on March 9 when she attended the Westminster Abbey Commonwealth Day service
It is claimed the BBC will broadcast the event live but there will be no spectators although members of the royal family may watch from the vantage point of a castle window.
Her Majesty celebrates her birthday both in April and June, in line with a British royal tradition that stems back to 1748 – when celebrations for the birthday of King George II were postponed to summer due to the weather.
The Queen usually celebrates her birthday in April privately but the occasion is marked with a series of gun salutes in Hyde Park, Windsor Great Park and the Tower of London.
The military event will involve troops from the Welsh Guards who will perform a royal salute in the castle’s quadrangle. Her Majesty is pictured meeting Coldstream Guards the oldest regiment in the British Army
The June event replaces Trooping the Colour, the national celebration of the Queen’s official birthday which traditionally is staged every year.
It famously features a gathering of the royal family on Buckingham Palace’s balcony to acknowledge the crowds in The Mall and watch a flypast.
Trooping also attracts thousands of spectators, friends and family of the soldiers taking part in the military spectacle, who fill stands around Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall where the event is normally staged.
This comes after news that Prince Philip will celebrate his 99th birthday next week by holding a simple lunch with the Queen
A few days after lockdown was announced Buckingham Palace said in line with Government advice Trooping the Colour would ‘not go ahead in its traditional form’ and a number of options were being considered.
This comes after news that Prince Philip will celebrate his 99th birthday next week by holding a simple lunch with the Queen.
Royal sources have confirmed that there were no plans for a party to mark the occasion, even without the restrictions caused by coronavirus .
While the Duke of Edinburgh is ‘characteristically taciturn’ about occasion and has opted not to make a fuss – lockdown means there is no chance of his children dropping by to pass on birthday wishes in person next Wednesday.