OREANDA-NEWS Queen Elizabeth II turns 95 on Wednesday 21 April. She will celebrate her birthday in mourning in connection with the death of her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, Philip, who died on April 9 at the age of 99. The two-week mourning period will end on April 23rd. In these circumstances, as well as taking into account the restrictions imposed in the UK against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic, the monarch's birthday celebrations will not take place.

It is known that Elizabeth II will celebrate her 95th birthday surrounded by a limited circle of people at Windsor Castle, writes TASS. Usually, the Queen's birthday is celebrated with 21 blank volleys from cannons from the First World War, but this will not happen for the second year in a row. Fireworks were canceled in 2020 due to coronavirus restrictions. According to media reports, due to mourning, it is likely that the traditional holiday photos of Elizabeth II will not appear on the social networks of Buckingham Palace.

Otherwise, the Queen's birthday this year will not be much different from previous ones. As a rule, on April 21st, the queen does without special celebrations. The parade and festivities usually take place on her official birthday, which is celebrated on the second Saturday in June.

Recall that in Great Britain the monarch's birthday is celebrated twice: on the very birthday of the ruler and on the first, second or even third Saturday of June - the so-called official birthday. It is the official birthday that is marked by lavish festivities and parades.

The tradition of dividing this solemn date into two dates back to 1748 when King George II decided to postpone his birthday parade due to weather. Since then, the birthday of British kings and queens has traditionally been celebrated during the warmer months of the year, in late May or early June.