It has been an unprecedented year for the Queen. For the first time in her 68-year reign, Her Majesty decided to cancel her annual birthday celebrations in the wake of COVID-19, choosing instead to mark her 94th birthday on 21 April privately. But it seems there is finally some good news for the monarch. It has been revealed that a miniature version of Trooping the Colour is set to go ahead on Saturday 13 June. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson confirmed to HELLO! Online: "There will be a small, brief, military ceremony at Windsor Castle to mark The Queen's official birthday."
The Queen and Prince Philip are spending lockdown at Windsor Castle
Rather than taking place in front of huge crowds on Horse Guards Parade, the ceremonial event will be held at Windsor Castle, where the Queen is self-isolating with her husband Prince Philip. According to the Daily Mail, the parade will be commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Henry Llewelyn-Usher, who will lead a small contingent of men from the Welsh Guards, accompanied by a reduced group of the Bands of the Household Division. In keeping with tradition, there will be a royal salute to the monarch at 11am – just as there would have been – however, there will understandably be no spectators, other than those watching from inside Windsor Castle.
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It will mark the end of a big week for the Queen. Just three days earlier, on 10 June, Prince Philip will celebrate his 99th birthday. It's not known whether other members of the royal family will take advantage of the easing of lockdown measures to join the couple to watch the parade from other vantage points in the castle.
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Trooping the Colour takes place every year to mark the Queen's official birthday
The Queen famously has two birthdays; she was born on 21 April 1926, and holds a second official celebration on the second Saturday in June. It has long been a tradition for a monarch in the UK to hold celebrations on a day other than their birthday. It was started more than 250 years ago by King George II in 1748; he was born in November, which is not known for its good weather, and therefore decided to hold a summer celebration, combined with a military parade – the Trooping the Colour.
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The 94-year-old monarch usually spends her April birthday in private with her family, although the day is marked by a 41-gun salute in Hyde Park, a 21-gun salute in Windsor Great Park and a 62-gun salute at the Tower of London.