From the BBC:
“Trooping the Colour: Scaled
back celebration for Queen's official birthday”
(Queen Elizabeth II during a
ceremony at Windsor Castle in Berkshire to mark her official birthday.)
The Queen's official birthday has
been marked with a scaled back celebration for a second year due to Covid. This
year's Trooping the Colour saw a reduced parade in the grounds of Windsor
Castle, rather than in central London, led by the Scots Guards. In 2020 the
event was cancelled due to the pandemic with a ceremonial tribute performed at
Windsor by Welsh Guardsman and a band of the Household Division. It comes ahead
of the Queen hosting US President Joe Biden on Sunday. The monarch's actual
birthday is on 21 April but her official birthday is marked on the second
Saturday of June each year. It is traditionally celebrated with a military
parade near Buckingham Palace in which the Household Division marches carrying
a regimental flag, known as a colour.
(The Guardsmen showed their
precision marching skills while maintaining a social distance of just over two
metres)
The Duke of Kent - the Queen's
cousin - was also present for the ceremony, which saw the F Company Scots
Guards troop the colour of the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards through the ranks of
guardsmen on parade. The celebration was smaller than normal and has been
dubbed a "mini" Trooping the Colour. But the military officer in
charge of planning the parade said his aim was to create a "memorable and
uplifting day" for the monarch, who has been based at Windsor during the
pandemic. The Red Arrows fly over Windsor Castle to mark the official birthday
of Queen Elizabeth II. Lt Col Guy Stone
said: "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."
Analysis box by Sarah
Campbell, Royal correspondent
(Members of the public gathered
in Windsor and saw the Red Arrows flypast overhead)
Foot tapping along to the music,
the Queen took a break from meeting presidents and prime ministers during the
G7 summit to attend her birthday parade. It was a scaled down Trooping the
Colour - in the grounds of Windsor Castle rather than in central London. The
soldiers once again had to carry out their manoeuvres in a socially distanced
way but, unlike last year, the mounted regiments were there and gun salutes
were fired. Any public hoping to catch a glimpse had been asked to stay away
from Windsor town centre - but some of the weekend shoppers, cyclists and
tourists did stop outside the castle walls. They were treated to a perfect view
of the Red Arrows flying overhead as the parade came to an end. It has been a
difficult few months for the Queen. A number of those taking part in Trooping
the Colour were also involved in the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh held here
in April. On Monday, the Queen will be joined by US President Biden and the
first lady for tea. At 95-years-old, the Queen appears to be enjoying a
particularly busy weekend. Lt Col Stone, who serves with the Welsh Guards, is
Brigade Major Household Division and was also in overall charge of the military
arrangements for the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral. It was the first time the
Queen's official birthday has been marked since the death of her husband
earlier this year. The event ended with a 41 gun salute and a flypast by the
Red Arrows.
Official celebrations of a
sovereign's birthday have often been held on a day other than their actual
birth date, particularly when the actual birthday has not been in the summer,
so that there is better weather for a parade. Meanwhile, heroes of the pandemic
have been among those to be honoured in the Queen's Birthday Honours, with
vaccine developer Prof Sarah Gilbert and former chair of the vaccine taskforce
Kate Bingham among those to be recognised. On Friday the Queen and other
members of the Royal Family were in Cornwall as part of the G7 summit of world
leaders. The monarch joined the politicians for a dinner at the Eden Project.
^ This year (whether it’s in
April or in June) the Queen turns 95 so it was important to celebrate it even
during a Pandemic. ^
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