Queen Elizabeth II – InStar / Cover Images
A first birthday without the one who was his “strength”, his “support”. Queen Elizabeth II turns 95 on Wednesday, four days after burying her husband Prince Philip, who had been by her side for 73 years. As this anniversary takes place in mourning for the royal family, any public event risks being canceled, even the publication of an official portrait.
Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, died on April 9 at Windsor Castle at the age of 99. Elisabeth II, with whom he had four children, bade him farewell on Saturday during a funeral organized in a small committee due to the coronavirus pandemic. Vivid image of the ceremony, the queen was sitting alone on a bench in the chapel, her face covered with a black mask to protect herself from the virus. The mourning period will end on Friday and the Queen will resume her official engagements.
“She will be personally devastated by his death, but I don’t think the Duke of Edinburgh’s death will have an impact on his work,” noted Joe Little, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine. There’s the public queen and there’s the private queen, and she’s good at compartmentalizing. “
The big parade canceled for the second year in a row
If the Queen’s birthday falls on April 21, it is traditionally celebrated in June with a large military parade in central London, called the “Salute to the Colors” and bringing together hundreds of soldiers and thousands of spectators. This ceremony has its origins in the preparations for war, with all the flags being shown to the soldiers so that they will recognize them in the confusion of the fighting.
But due to the pandemic, the ceremony is canceled for the second year in a row, Buckingham Palace announced last month. Last year, the ceremony was replaced by a small event at Windsor Castle, where Elisabeth II has withdrawn since March 2020, during the first confinement.