Trooping the Colour is finally here! Fans gathered at Windsor at 10:15 a.m ET., to see the parade which celebrates Queen Elizabeth‘s birthday. According to the royal family’s website, Trooping the Colour features “1,400 parading soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians” who all come together to put on a show for Her Majesty. However, this year, there were far fewer people there due to the coronavirus pandemic.
When the queen turned 94 on April 21, she actually had to cancel the parade because there were social distancing laws in place. “In line with government advice, it has been agreed that the queen’s birthday parade, also known as Trooping the Colour, will not go ahead in its traditional form,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement on March 17. “A number of other options are being considered, in line with relevant guidance.”
Although the queen couldn’t meet up with her family for Trooping the Colour, she still had a great time at home, especially when and video called her from L.A. on her birthday.
“The queen told them all about her birthday and how she’d had a lovely day, despite being on lockdown,” a source previously told Closer Weekly. She never does anything big for her birthday so it wasn’t too different from her previous ones. As usual, she had her chocolate birthday cake.”
During their conversation, the monarch also “praised” the couple for all the charity work they’ve been doing in L.A. and she “warned them to continue taking all necessary precautions” against COVID-19 “in a nice way,” the source said. “She’s very protective over Harry and often worries about him, but he promised her he’s doing just fine!”
Queen Elizabeth knows how bad coronavirus can get since her son Prince Charles was recently diagnosed with it. Thankfully, he recovered quickly and is back on his feet. When the monarch was getting ready to end her call with Harry, she said she was “delighted” to hear from him and she’s been doing her best to “remain upbeat,” the source said.
Scroll below to see photos of the queen’s royal’s birthday parade!