LONDON – Days after the funeral of her 73-year-old husband, Queen Elizabeth II turned 95 on Wednesday and celebrated a milestone without Prince Philip being by her side.
Although a private, peaceful event could have been planned in a normal year to celebrate the occasion, the death of the Duke of Edinburgh on April 9 and his funeral on Saturday, coupled with continued coronavirus restrictions, meant that no public plan to celebrate her birthday.
In a statement issued by Buckingham Palace, the Queen said: ‘While we as a family are in a time of great sadness, it was a comfort to all of us to see and hear the tributes to my husband from those in the UK, the Commonwealth and around the world.
“My family and I would like to thank you all for the support and kindness shown to us in recent days. We are deeply touched, and we are reminded that Philip had such an extraordinary impact on many people during his lifetime.”
The Queen will spend the day in Windsor Castle during a royal mourning after Philip’s death, said the palace.
“Her birthday every year will be colored by sadness,” said Victoria Howard, editor of The Crown Chronicles, a royal news blog.
“So many people had to lock up birthdays and funerals that in a strange way it’s almost comforting that the royal family goes through it too.”
The queen usually spends her April birthday privately without much public celebration and this is her second birthday in a row taking place under coronavirus restrictions. Last year, there were no festive salutes for the gun, which the queen said would be inappropriate amid the pandemic.
There are still strict limits on public gatherings in the UK due to concerns about the spread of Covid-19. Groups of only six people or less may meet outside, only 15 people are allowed at weddings and 30 people can attend funerals.
The queen celebrates two birthdays each year, the actual day of her birth in April, and an official birthday in June, when the traditional Trooping the Color parade takes place with soldiers in ceremonial uniforms, a tradition dating back to the 18th century. This year’s parade was canceled in March due to Covid-19.
The Queen celebrated her last big birthday, her 90th, on the official birthday in June 2016 with a big street party near Buckingham Palace for guests from charities of which she is patron. That birthday also happened to coincide with Philip’s birthday.
This year’s milestone birthday is entering a new era as her long government enters. Next year, the Queen will celebrate 70 years on the throne, known in Britain as the “Platinum Jubilee”. She is Britain’s longest-serving monarch as well as the eldest, a peculiar twist to the story of a princess who grew up and did not expect to become queen. Her father, George VI, first became king when his older brother Edward VIII resigned from the American divorced Wales Simpson in 1936.
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A four-day celebration has already begun in June 2022, including an extra national holiday, events across the Commonwealth, as well as ‘events that blend the best of British ceremonial splendor and splendor with leading artistic and technological exhibitions.’
While the Queen has so far continued with a busy schedule, over the past few years she has transferred more of her roles and responsibilities to her son, Prince Charles, and his son, Prince William. Philip retired from his public duties in 2017.
“There has been a change in the way the royal family works since the queen stopped traveling,” said royal expert Tim Ewart, the former royal editor of ITV, a British broadcaster.
‘The queen does not let her age stop her from doing the events she can. There is no evidence that she is not going to continue, but the events are becoming more modest. ‘
At 72, Charles is now at an age where many people retire. Until last year, it was assumed that Harry would share the royal responsibilities with his brother, but the palace announced in February that he and his wife Meghan would not return to their roles as senior royals. The couple moved to the US last year.
As the queen gets older, the way the royal family continues is likely to continue to evolve.
“If Charles acts and helps dictate the way things are run, more potential than the queen, is it going to be a change of direction, are they going to do things differently?” said Howard. “It’s a bit of a crossroads.”