Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday: Celebrate with these timeless pictures

On Saturday, the Trooping the Color celebration took place at Windsor Castle to honor Queen Elizabeth and her 95th birthday. The annual event was an absolute blast, and the British Monarch got to witness a spectacular event. This was the second public event the Queen has attended since the passing of her late husband Prince Philip. 

Check out all the great pictures of Queen Elizabeth at her annual birthday celebration here. 

The gorgeous scene

While the birthday of Queen Elizabeth actually already passed on April 21st, this annual celebration always takes place in June, and the world got to see some really great pictures of the special day. While the event that took place at Windsor Castle this year was significantly smaller than the ones from previous years because of ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, it still looked like a really great time for those who attended. 

The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery paraded through the event and brought guns dating all the way back from the First World War. Then, the Blues and Royals and Life Guards made their way through with bagpipers. The bands played a whole range of Scottish folk songs as Queen Elizabeth made her way out of the Windsor Castle. As she stood under the canopy, the National Anthem “God Save the Queen” was played. 

Usually, the big day would consist of over 1400 soldiers, 200 horses , and 400 musical artists. Nevertheless, Queen Elizabeth still looked prideful in pictures as she watched the soldiers parade around in her honor. At one moment, the Red Arrows, which is the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, flew into the sky and marked the sky with a beautiful portrait of red, white, and blue. It was truly a spectacular moment for her. 

Because this was the first Trooping the Color celebration she has been a part of since the passing of her late spouse Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth asked for Her Majesty’s cousin, Prince Edward AKA the Duke of Kent, to join alongside her at this year’s special ceremony. In the pictures, Queen Elizabeth donned a light grey classy outfit with a matching hat and black shoes to pair for her annual birthday celebration. 

Queen Elizabeth and her family 

Before attending the special parade at Windsor Castle, Queen Elizabeth was joined by a few family members at a charity lunch event on Friday. Some other guests included were the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, and the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla Parker Bowles. The Queen seemed to be in good spirits that day, as she even joked about cutting a large cake with a ceremonial sword instead of a regular knife. 

While this was the usual public celebration for the Queen’s birthday, Queen Elizabeth usually chooses to spend her actual birthday privately with a few family members, and that was exactly what she did her past birthday. On her special day, the Queen took the time to release a statement that read: “My family and I would like to thank you all for the support and kindness shown to us in recent days”.

“We have been deeply touched, and continue to be reminded that Philip had such an extraordinary impact on countless people throughout his life”, she wrote, as her 95th birthday came only four days after her late-husband Prince Philip’s funeral, a man whom she regarded as her “strength and stay” throughout their 73 years of marriage. 

The Queen reportedly spent a peaceful 95th birthday indoors on April 21st at the Windsor Castle in England, where she had been isolating herself for most of the past year since the beginning of the global pandemic. She even had a few family members visit her and also walked the dogs. She expressed: “I have, on the occasion of my 95th birthday today, received many messages of good wishes, which I very much appreciate”.