Late Prince Philip's Sweet Tradition For The Queen's Birthday

Apr 23, 2021 by apost team

Queen Elizabeth II celebrates two birthdays in the year — the first is her actual birthday on April 21, which she mostly spends privately with family, while gun salutes across London mark the occasion publicly. The other birthday is the Trooping the Colour event, which usually takes place on the second Saturday in June.

This year marks the first time the recently widowed queen will have to celebrate without her husband of 73 years. While most of the festivities around the April date have been kept private by the royal family, there is one tradition the late Prince Philip kept up that she will surely miss.

An official stated the royal family has entered two weeks of so-called royal mourning, which began after Prince Philip passed away on April 9. It will no doubt be a mournful birthday for the queen, which is made even more somber by the current global situation. Usually honored with a gun salute, this year's celebration will be much more lowkey considering the circumstances. June's Trooping the Colour event has also been canceled, marking only the third time in her reign that the parade hasn't taken place.

While earlier reports stated that Prince Harry might extend his trip to the U.K. to spend his grandmother's birthday with her, the Daily Mail has since reported that Harry flew back to California on April 20, just one day before the queen's birthday. The news outlet also reported that neither Prince Charles nor Prince William were scheduled to meet the queen for her birthday.  

It's also believed that Her Majesty will not mark the occasion with a new royal portrait. The royal family's social media channels will likely be the only way that her 95th birthday is commemorated. The queen has since released a statement on the official Instagram and Twitter handle of the Royal Family on the day of her birthday.

In the caption, the queen thanked the public for their support during what is possibly one of the most emotionally challenging times in her life. She writes, "I have, on the occasion of my 95th birthday today, received many messages of good wishes, which I very much appreciate." She continues by saying, "While as a family we are in a period of great sadness, it has been a comfort to us all to see and to hear the tributes paid to my husband, from those within the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and around the world."

This year's private celebration for the queen's birthday was very small, with a "quiet lunch" expected to be the only mark of the occasion, The Telegraph reported beforehand. Her Majesty spent the day at Windsor surrounded by her staff of 20, who have been dubbed "HMS Bubble."

Usually, a new royal portrait is commissioned on her Majesty's birthday as well. This year, however, a departure from this tradition is expected. According to The Telegraph, the queen will forgo the traditional portrait this year. 

And this is not the only long-standing tradition Elizabeth will have to go without as of this tumultuous year.

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As it turns out, her late husband Philip had a private tradition of his own that will be sorely missed now. Over several decades, Philip placed a flower on her breakfast day to mark the occasion on each of her birthdays. According to royal observers, the late prince never missed a birthday. This tradition goes back many years, as the royal commentator for CNN, Victoria Arbiter, shows in her Twitter message. She shared a photo of an old news article, captioning the picture with the words:

"According to an article published in the Montreal Gazette in 1976, Prince Philip always used to put a flower on the queen's birthday breakfast tray. 
 Amazing that even on her 50th questions over whether or not she'd abdicate were raised. The answer remains the same — no."

The captured article reads, "Birthday morning the queen will find a flower on her breakfast tray — a token her husband never forgets." 

This gesture may seem small, but it's a very thoughtful and sweet way to make the queen's birthday a little bit brighter. It may not compare to the grand statement of the Trooping the Colour event later in the year, but such small gestures are often much more heartwarming than grand events, most married people will agree. Coming from the people we love, even something such as a small flower can carry great meaning. Its absence will also cut all the more deeply, as moments such as these are when we also remember our lost loved ones most dearly.

What do you think about Prince Philip's sweet tradition? Do you also do something small but thoughtful to mark an important person's birthday in your life? Tell us your stories and thoughts, and pass this along to your friends and family members to see what they think.