Queen Elizabeth cancels her 94th birthday celebrations over pandemic
- Britain's Queen Elizabeth did not celebrate her 94th birthday in any special way and asked that there be no gun salutes to mark the occasion
- The queen said she had cancelled the ceremony because it would not be appropriate while the country battles deadly coronavirus outbreak
- The Queen turned 94 on April 21, 2020
- Ceremonial gun salutes, in which blank rounds are fired from various locations are typically used by the royal family to mark special occasions
- The Queen was keen that no special measures were put in place to allow gun salutes
- It is believed to be the first such request in the Queen's 68-year reign
Queen Elizabeth's annual gun salute in honour of Her Majesty's birthday has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Queen Elizabeth II turned 94-years-old on Tuesday, April 21 and this year marked the first time in her 68-year reign that the saltire will not be taking place.
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Source: UGC
A report by CNN showed the Palace was expected to celebrate the queen's birthday on social media with all family-related affairs, including video calls being private.
"There will be no gun salute this year. Her Majesty was keen that there will be no special measures put in place in the current circumstances," a source was quoted.
With thousands dead, the monarch decided that the celebratory display of military firepower would not be appropriate.’
Source: UGC
Nor will there be a celebratory peal of bells from Westminster Abbey, as the church where the queen was married and crowned is currently closed.
It was previously announced that the Trooping of Colour event also known as the Queen's annual birthday parade had also been cancelled due to the health crisis.
It was originally planned to take place in June 2020.
In years past, the queen received gun salutes at military bases across the country to mark the occasion, with one also taking place at the royal palace as hundreds of citizens watch outside.
The monarch has enjoyed two birthdays a year since she ascended the throne, and the tradition actually started a lot further back than that.
British monarchs have doubled up on the festivities since the 18th century, holding an "official" birthday for a public celebration, and tend to celebrate more privately on the real date.
But why does she have two?
It is pretty simple, no-one wants to celebrate their birthday in the rain, and so, ever since the 1740s, monarchs have enjoyed a second birthday, with far more pomp, in the summer.
The tradition is believed to have started with the party-loving King George II in 1748.
That was the year that Britain's annual Trooping the Colour celebration was first associated with the sovereign's birthday.
George's real birthday was in November when British weather is often far from ideal.
In another news, Legit.ng reported that Queen Elizabeth put out a vacancy looking for someone that could help renovate the Buckingham Palace.
The job will come with an annual salary of £38,000 (N17,850,264.40). So, if construction work is your thing, you may want to try your luck on this one. The UK Sun reports that the job was posted on LinkedIn and the person chosen will be working in the Buckingham Palace Reservicing Programme department.
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