Royal Family Shares Smiling Photograph Of Queen Elizabeth As She Marks First Birthday Without Prince Philip

Apr 21, 2021 by apost team

For her birthday on April 21, Queen Elizabeth will be celebrating without her late husband Prince Philip for the first time in her nearly seven-decade reign. This year's celebration will be very small, with a "quiet lunch" expected to take place, The Telegraph reported. Her Majesty will spend the day at Windsor surrounded by her staff of 20, who have been dubbed "HMS Bubble."

An official stated the royal family is observing 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 UK 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 will be meeting the queen for her birthday.  

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

The Instagram post is a picture of Elizabeth dressed in a plum hat and coat. The caption read, "Today is The Queen’s 95th birthday." The somber mood of her birthday is also reflected in the caption this year. The caption continued: 

"The Queen was born at 2.40am on 21 April 1926 at 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair, London. She was the first child of The Duke and Duchess of York, who later became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth."

The caption concluded with, "This year Her Majesty remains at Windsor Castle, during a period of Royal Mourning following the death of The Duke of Edinburgh." The short but poignant caption along with the photo is a subdued way to recognize this important day for the queen while also maintaining the decorum the current difficult period needs. 

While many of the usual celebrations and pomp are not included this year to mark the queen's birthday, she will certainly not be alone as the Mirror reported that Kate Middleton and other senior members of the royal family are making a plan for a small, toned-down celebration. A source told the news outlet that the queen, "will have others who care about her deeply and want to be there to support her in her most pressing hour."

The Queen celebrates two birthdays in the year — the first is her actual birthday on April 21, where she mostly spends it 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.

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UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was not among the members who attended Philip's funeral on April 17, 2021, also sent his regards to the queen for her birthday. In a Twitter post, he wrote, "I would like to send my warm wishes to Her Majesty The Queen on her 95th birthday. I have always had the highest admiration for Her Majesty and her service to this country and the Commonwealth. I am proud to serve as her Prime Minister."

This is the queen's second birthday under lockdown and the first without her husband in over seven decades. She spent her last birthday with Philip by taking video calls with the rest of her family members. There have been no recent reports on how the queen spent her birthday or who spent time with her this year, but she has been receiving regular visits from her family to help her through this trying time. As the Daily Mail reported, several of the Queen's children and their spouses have been paying their respects. The presence of her children is surely a comfort during these times.

Several members of the "HMS bubble," where the queen has spent most of her time in lockdown, have also lent the Queen their support over the last days. Elizabeth has grown close to several of her aides and staff over the years, as is the norm for long-reigning monarchs. Lady Susan Hussey, one of the Queen's Ladies-in-waiting, is a close confidante and friend to Elizabeth and, according to the Daily Mail, even accompanied the Queen inside her car to the funeral last weekend. We hope the company of her friends and family will help Elizabeth and anchor her in her time of loss.

Our thoughts are with the queen during this difficult time. What do you think of the Royal Family's social media post? Tell us what you think, and let others know about the queen's brave face for her birthday.