Queen Elizabeth has requested that there be no gun salute to mark her 94th birthday.
The Queen has called for all public celebrations to be cancelled, as she feels it would be ‘inappropriate’ during this time. This means no gun salutes from the Tower of London or Hyde Park—a tradition on the monarch’s birthday, which falls on April 21. It will be the first time this has happened in Her Majesty’s 68-year reign.
A social media post will mark the day, as usual—but any personal celebrations, via phone calls or video calls, will remain within the family, and stay private.
According to the Metro, a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace said: ‘Her Majesty was keen that no special measures were put in place to allow gun salutes as she did not feel it appropriate in the current circumstances.’
As per Queen Elizabeth’s wishes, there will also be no obligation for government buildings to fly flags—another tradition on the Queen’s birthday.
The Queen’s birthday parade, otherwise known as Trooping the Colour, has already been cancelled. The parade usually takes place in June, but other options are supposedly being considered.