How Queen Elizabeth Will Celebrate Her 95th Birthday Wednesday

This is going to be a year of low-key celebrations with somber touches for the British Royal Family. Queen Elizabeth— who turns 95 on Wednesday—will be ushering in her birthday in an intimately private get-together. Speculations are also rife that there’s going to be a detour from the usual celebratory protocol.

Given the pandemic’s guidelines and the ongoing mourning period of Duke of Edinburgh’s passing till Friday; a new birthday portrait of the British monarch won’t be unveiled on her birthday, nor will any of the members witness the traditional gun salutes at Hyde Park and Tower of London, as cited on Harper's Bazaar.

What’s more; the Queen's annual summertime birthday celebration, known as Trooping the Colour, will also not take place this year for the second time in a row. Aside from stepping back from public royal engagements in the coming weeks, the Queen will resume other duties remotely from the confines of the palace.

The monarch is expected to take time out and respond personally to each of the world leader’s condolence messages. Prince William, Kate Middleton, and Prince Charles will also be sharing responsibilities as far as writing back to global figures who reached out after Philip's passing is concerned.

Prince Philip’s funeral—which took place on Saturday— marked a historic first of sorts, and saw Prince Harry’s return to the UK after about almost a year. Credible sources are of the opinion that the funeral service served as an opportune moment for Charles and his sons William and Harry to mend strained ties. Insiders believe William’s peace talks with Harry could’ve been one of the reasons that fueled his decision to stay back in the UK for longer.

Meghan Markle who stayed back in the US owing to her pregnancy reportedly sent a special hand-written note with a handmade wreath for Prince Philip’s funeral. Reports are rife that the Sussexes handpicked the flowers for their tribute. The couple is expecting their second child, a baby girl, this summer. Meghan’s close friends believe she really wanted to travel and be united in grief with Harry’s family but was firmly advised against traveling by her physician and mother Doria Ragland.