The 95th birthday of Queen Elizabeth on April 21 will be a lot different without her husband, Prince Philip, by her side. The monarch also doesn't want Prince Harry to stay for her birthday and she would prefer her grandson return to California to be with Meghan Markle immediately.
According to journalist Louise Roberts, Queen Elizabeth would likely not want another family drama unfolding on her birthday if Harry stuck around for a few more days. Though a lot of royal observers believe that the Duke of Sussex should extend his London stay for his grandmother, Roberts is certain that it's not what the queen wants in her period of mourning.
Royal expert Ingrid Seward also said that Queen Elizabeth will likely not be in the mood to speak to Harry about his issues with the royal family. She said that Her Majesty is known for "hating confrontation" and would rather talk about her dogs or horses.
In the past, the queen's adult children have always had difficulty opening up to her since she's not one to dwell on conflicts. According to Seward, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, once informed her that it took her and Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, three weeks to discuss their plans to divorce with the queen.
Harry returned to London after one year of living in California due to sad circumstances. He had to be there for the funeral of his grandfather. However, reports stated that Harry has no plans to stay longer since he has to be back with his wife, who is heavy with their second baby.
According to reports, Harry was convinced to "mingle" and stay the week in London after the funeral and will likely still be in town for Queen Elizabeth's 95th birthday. However, it's unclear if the queen has no special plans for her milestone year.
It's been speculated that Her Majesty will skip the tradition of releasing a birthday photo this year. She has also canceled the gun salutes at Hyde Park and the Tower of London. When she turned 94 last year, the queen also had to forego the gun salutes due to COVID-19. She had her final birthday photo with her husband as well but it will not be the case this year since Prince Philip was just laid to rest four days before her birthday.
Reports stated that Queen Elizabeth might have a quiet lunch with some members of the family at Windsor Castle. It's likely that her son and daughter-in-law-, Prince Edward and Sophie, will be one of her lunch guests.
Prior to the Duke of Edinburgh's death, Queen Elizabeth did not actually have any plans to celebrate her 95th birthday because she wanted her staff to focus more on preparing for Philip's 100th year, which would have taken place on June 10. However, the royal passed away just two months shy of his centennial.
