Queen Elizabeth II's official birthday is coming, and Buckingham Palace recently announced how the country would celebrate the special event. Although the much-awaited Trooping the Colour is already canceled, there will be a small-scale celebration that will follow the social distancing rules due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year, the Trooping the Colour will be closed to the public. Although there will be no grand celebration, there will still be a gun salute and Queen Elizabeth will finally make her very first public appearance after more than three months.
ITV's royal correspondent, Chris Ship, shared Buckingham Palace's official announcement about the upcoming event. The post confirmed that Her Majesty would take part in a smaller parade for the celebration of her official birthday on Saturday, June 13.
The annual and official Trooping the Colour parade was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the big gatherings are still prohibited in the country, there will be a "much smaller military commemoration in Windsor" instead.
For the first time since the social distancing rule was imposed, the public would finally have a glimpse of Queen Elizabeth II. She would view the military ceremony in the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle.
Soldiers from the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, who are currently on Guard at Windsor Castle, will execute the ceremony. Band of the Household Division, alternatively, will provide the group's music.
When Queen Elizabeth arrives in the Quadrangle, she will be greeted by a Royal Salute. The soldiers will then carry out a series of military drills, while the band plays. The ceremony will conclude with a second salute before the Queen leaves.
According to Mirror Online, the ceremony may last for 20 minutes. To adhere to the social distancing protocol, the Guardsmen will perform their drills two meters apart. The military musicians will also observe social distancing.
As people can't gather near Windsor, famed broadcaster Huw Edwards will cover the event that will be seen on a BBC One program. Trooping the Colour takes place in the second week of June each year.
It usually features the gathering of the royal family on Buckingham Palace's balcony to greet fans in The Mall and watch a flypast. However, this year will be quite different.
A few days after the government-imposed lockdown, Buckingham Palace announced that in line with the administration's advice, Trooping the Colour would "not go ahead in its traditional form." At the time, they revealed they were considering several options to push it through.
