COVID-19: Queen Marks Official Birthday With Scaled-Down Parade At Windsor
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her official birthday on Saturday in subdued style, with a scaled-down version of the traditional “Trooping the Colour” ceremony due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 94-year-old monarch watched a smaller military parade in the grounds of Windsor Castle, where she has been staying during the COVID-19 outbreak, in her first official public appearance since the country’s virus lockdown began in late March.
It was the first time the castle, west of London, has staged an event to mark a sovereign’s official birthday since 1895, when a ceremony was held in honour of Queen Victoria.
The parade featured soldiers from the Welsh Guards, who observed government virus guidelines to keep at least two metres apart, in a ceremony dubbed “mini-Trooping”.
The annual “Trooping” event, which normally features hundreds of servicemen and women from Britain’s most prestigious regiments for a centuries-old spectacle of military pomp and pageantry in front of thousands of spectators, was cancelled because of the health crisis.
Britain has been among the worst-hit countries in the world by COVID-19, with the number of suspected and confirmed deaths passing the grim milestone of 50,000 this week.
The Queen observed Saturday’s pared-back ceremony in the quadrangle of Windsor Castle from a dais and was given the royal salute by the troops.
Despite isolating at the castle for the last three months, the elderly monarch has tried to remain visible, making a rare televised address to the nation in April and her debut on a digital platform this week in a video conference call.
The double birthday tradition was started by King George II in 1748, who wanted to have a summer celebration as his own birthday was October 30.
AFP
