There will be no Order of the Garter service this June at Windsor Castle. Queen Elizabeth canceled the event due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Garter Day, which dates back to royal traditions almost 700 years ago, honors the "oldest and most senior Order of Chivalry in Britain." Buckingham Palace, the Queen's official home, released a statement confirming that the event will no longer be taking place amid the rising cases of infections.
The statement cited that the Order of Garter entailed a lot of planning due to the number of attendees. However, a decision was made to scrap the event since guests may likely be unable to attend because of the enforcement from the U.K. government to limit movements and to stay at home, especially for those above 70 years old.
This annual event often sees hundreds of people on the streets to watch the Garter Knights parade in their black velvet hats, blue velvet robes and white plumes. Such a large gathering is discouraged amid the pandemic and especially with the number of deaths from those infected with COVID-19 in the U.K.
Hello also reported that the ceremonies of the Order of the Garter take place at the St. George Chapel in Windsor. However, this venue has been ordered closed until June 30, thus disallowing any services to take place.
The Queen's Order of the Garter is made up of the privileged few, including Prince Charles and Prince William. It is the Queen who chooses the knights to be recognized and to participate in the service. For this year, however, it's unclear if there will be a special celebration online, as with the other royal events in the last few weeks.
Apart from the Order of the Garter, the Queen has also called off her birthday parade, the Trooping the Colour. This event takes place every second Saturday of June to mark the Queen's official birthday. However, she was actually born on April 21 and celebrated in private and isolation at Windsor Castle.
The royal family has been forced to cancel a number of their traditional events and royal engagements to safeguard the health of Queen Elizabeth and its other senior members. The coronavirus poses more risks to those over 70 years old, hence extra measures have been in place to protect the Queen, who is 94.
The U.K. government has imposed the stay-at-home orders until the middle of May. However, it might likely be extended for a few more weeks as the virus remain uncontained.
