After April b'day, Queen Elizabeth II's official celebration smaller than usual amid Covid

Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, Queen Elizabeth II of England 'celebrated' her 94th Birthday in a smaller ceremony than usual. The annual Trooping Colour parade that marks the Queen of England’s birthday's official celebration was cancelled due to the COVID-19 epidemic. This year, instead of a larger ceremony, a fewer number of soldiers and military musician honoured the monarch.

Social distancing norms followed during the ceremony

The Queen of England’s birthday is usually a grand affair that attracts thousands of people and tourists to central London. While her birthday in the traditional sense is in April, it is publicly celebrated on the second Saturday of June each year, along with the announcement of the Queen's Birthday Honours' list. The parade has only once before been cancelled during the 70 years of Queen Elizabeth’s reign, in 1955 when there was a national rail strike in England. This event marked the Queen’s first public appearance since Britain went into lockdown in March, though she has issued a pair of statements amid the country's darkest days of the pandemic, and was also photographed going horse-riding earlier.

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Take a look at some of the stunning pictures from her smaller celebration:

(Image credits: AP)

The Deadly Coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 295,000 people in England and the country currently has a death toll of 41,747 people.

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Queen Elizabeth II's official birthday celebration smaller than usual;