Queen Elizabeth’s official birthday was marked with a scaled-down celebration at Windsor Castle on Saturday (12.06.21).
The 95-year-old monarch witnessed the Trooping the Colour in the grounds of castle, where the event was scaled-back because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The event was led by the Scots Guards and was staged ahead of the Queen meeting with US President Joe Biden on Sunday.
The Queen’s actual birthday falls on April 21, but Trooping the Colour is staged on the second Saturday of June each year.
The spectacular event is typically held near Buckingham Palace and features an elaborate military parade.
However, last year, it was cancelled due to the pandemic and it was instead marked with a ceremonial tribute at Windsor.
This year’s celebration was again noticeably smaller than usual and has been dubbed a “mini” Trooping the Colour.
Guy Stone, who planned the parade, explained that it was geared towards creating a “memorable and uplifting day” for the Queen.
He told the BBC: “Last year we had 85 on parade, this year we’ve got 274, plus 70 horses, so we’re really excited about the event having grown and getting us back to normal for next year we hope.
“It’s been very challenging, but we like a challenge. COVID has got a lot to answer for in so many ways, it’s made this difficult but what we want to do more than anything is give the Queen a memorable and uplifting day.”
This year’s event – which ended with a 41 gun salute and a flypast by the Red Arrows – was the first since the death of Prince Philip, who passed away in April at the age of 99.