Dressed in a sombre jade Stewart Parvin coat and matching hat by Rachel Trevor-Morgan, Queen Elizabeth celebrated her birthday on Saturday. This was her first public appearance after the lockdown had been enforced.
It is to be noted that the Queen celebrates two birthdays: her actual date of birth on 21st April, and the second Saturday of June, which is her official birthday.
Usually the ceremony is marked by the royal family gathering outside the Buckingham palace, to greet the crowds, and watching the fly-past. This year, instead of the regular Trooping the Colour ceremony that usually marks such royal events, it was replaced by a muted version of the same. A small, brief, military ceremony with no members of the public present was conducted to uphold the lockdown measures.
The Welsh Guard soldiers staged this ceremony, for which the Queen had worn the brooch of the Welsh Guards – a diamond leek. These soldiers were those who used to man the Covid-19 test centres.
The Queen took her place on the dais at the quadrangle in the Windsor castle, post which she was given the royal salute by the officers, and the national anthem was played by the Household Division. The Household Division – made up of the British Army’s most prestigious regiments – has a close affinity with the Queen and was keen to mark the milestone with a ceremony dubbed mini-Trooping.
Meanwhile, the UK currently has a recorded cases of 292, 950 and a death toll of 41,481 due to the coronavirus pandemic.