Queen Elizabeth, reportedly, made a phone call to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as Canada celebrated Victoria Day. Since Canada is a part of the Commonwealth, the Queen checked on how the country has been doing since the coronavirus pandemic struck the world.
Trudeau shared in a post on his Twitter account about receiving the Queen's phone call. The prime minister said that he and Queen Elizabeth discussed COVID-19 and the state of the world.
He also said that the Queen shared a hopeful message amid this challenging period. Trudeau, on the other hand, also wished Queen Elizabeth the very best on her special birthday in Canada.
Trudeau has met the Queen in person several times before, when he was still a young boy in the 1970s. Trudeau's father, Pierre Trudeau, was one of the longest-serving officials in Canada and the Queen made several visits to the Commonwealth country during his term as prime minister. The Queen, however, hasn't traveled to Canada since the younger Trudeau became the country's PM.
Since 1845, the Commonwealth country celebrates Victoria Day every year on the Monday before May 25 to mark the monarch's birthday. It was established for the Queen's ancestor and grandmother, Queen Victoria.
However, Victoria Day's date wasn't changed years after Queen Victoria's death and Canada had a new monarch in Queen Elizabeth, who was born in April. Thus, Queen Elizabeth celebrates her third birthday in this part of the world and the people in Canada get a day off from work for Victoria Day.
The royal Union Jack flag is also flown across public and federal Canadian sites for Victoria Day. Pre-pandemic period, the celebration is often marked with fireworks displays across the cities in Canada, kicking off the start of summer season.
This year, however, there was no public traditional celebrations for Victoria Day due to the public health crisis. The locals commemorated from their homes instead while observing social distancing.
Several provinces in Canada have eased on their lockdown restrictions at the beginning of May, including in the nation's epicenter in Ontario. As of May 19, Canada has nearly 80,000 positive COVID-19 cases and over 5,000 deaths. In early April, Trudeau's wife Sophie contracted the virus and battled with COVID-19 for days.
Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth continues her isolation in Windsor Castle with her husband, Prince Philip. The royals would have moved to Balmoral for the summer season but Buckingham Palace earlier announced that the Queen will be staying indefinitely at her favorite home.
