Queen Elizabeth viewed a socially-distanced military ceremony at Windsor Castle to mark her formal birthday on Saturday, after the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of the usual large parade of soldiers through central London.
It was the queen’s first official public appearance since the country went into lockdown in late March.
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The 94-year-old queen watched a series of drills by the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards in the castle’s quadrangle, instead of the Trooping the Colour event that traditionally marks the occasion.
The Queen enjoying today’s military ceremony at Windsor Castle, held to mark Her Majesty’s Official Birthday. 👇 pic.twitter.com/ZABtAZxUWN
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) June 13, 2020
The queen, who has been living with her 99-year-old husband Prince Philip at Windsor Castle, has issued a number of rallying messages to the nation in the past three months, including televised addresses that have been a rarity during her 68-year reign.
But she had not been seen in public until Saturday, when dressed in a jade coat and wearing a diamond Welsh Guards brooch, she observed soldiers adhering to the 2-meter social distancing rule, and listened to music performed by a Band of the Household Division.
Earlier this week, Buckingham Palace released a new photograph of the royal couple to celebrate Philip’s birthday. The gun salutes in London that normally celebrate that occasion were also canceled.
The queen’s actual birthday is April 21, but her birthday is officially marked in June.
