Queen makes first major appearance since lockdown for ‘official’ birthday

Queen’s ‘official’ birthday is celebrated on second Saturday of June

The Queen has made an appearance during the first major royal event since lockdown was established in March.

The 94-year-old monarch attended a small military ceremony carried out by the Welsh Guards at Windsor Castle, where she has been residing with the Duke of Edinburgh during the coronavirus pandemic.

The event was held following the cancellation of this year's Trooping the Colour parade that typically occurs on the Queen’s “official” birthday, two months after her actual birthday in April.

Buckingham Palace announced in March the parade, which would normally involve hundreds of serving military personnel, would not take place this year “in its traditional form”.

Members of the royal family usually attend Queen Elizabeth II’s official birthday celebrations, joining in the parade down the Mall towards Buckingham Palace and watching the RAF flypast from the Palace balcony.

However, this year the Queen was the only member of the royal family to attend the military ceremony in person.

BBC One commentators speculated that Prince Philip, who celebrated his 99th birthday on Wednesday 10 June, was likely to have watched the army service from a window.

The Duke of Edinburgh officially retired from royal duties in 2017.

The Prince of Wales, who has been Colonel of the Welsh Guards for 45 years, also did not attend the ceremony.

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth attends a ceremony to mark her official birthday at Windsor Castle in Windsor, Britain, June 13, 2020 (REUTERS/Toby Melville/Pool)

The was held at Windsor Castle has been conducted by the Welsh Guards, one of the seven regiments in the Household Division.

The Welsh Guards had around two weeks to prepare for the Queen’s birthday ceremony, despite usually having months to get ready for Trooping the Colour.

While the soldiers are usually around an arms length away from each other during the service, with the musicians typically shoulder-to-shoulder, this year they had to stand further away in line with social distancing guidelines.

Members of the Welsh Guards perform during a ceremony to mark Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II official birthday, at Windsor Castle in Windsor, southeast England on June 13, 2020 (TOBY MELVILLE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The Queen, who is known for wearing a range of brightly coloured outfits, decided to don a sky blue ensemble for her “official” birthday ceremony.

As the soldiers marched past her, the monarch could be seen smiling as she caught the eyes of members of the Welsh Guards.

One of the tunes played by the Household Division prior to the Queen’s appearance paid homage to the Auxiliary Territorial Service, a branch of the armed force the monarch served with during the Second World War.

Prior to the military ceremony on the quadrangle at Windsor Castle, the BBC One programme featured footage showing members of the Welsh Guards contributing to the national effort against Covid-19, testing members of the NHS for the virus.

While the ceremony marked the first major royal event the Queen has attended since early March, the 94-year-old has taken part in several engagements during lockdown.

Queen Elizabeth II has delivered in two television addresses since the beginning of the outbreak, first offering a message of support for members of the public amid the pandemic and then later in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

The monarch recently took part in her first video call alongside her daughter, Princess Anne, to mark Carers Week 2020.

An official photograph of the Queen and Prince Philip was recently released to mark the Duke of Edinburgh’s 99th birthday.

The picture showed the royal couple standing side-by-side at Windsor Castle.