In this Tuesday, Nov 26, 2019, file photo, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II visits the new headquarters of the Royal Philatelic Society in London. Britain is marking Queen Elizabeth II’s 94th birthday, Tuesday, April 21, 2020, with silence, as the nation in lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic forgoes the usual gun salutes and the ringing of bells. With thousands dead, the monarch decided that the celebratory display of military firepower would not be “appropriate.’’ 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. (Tolga Akmen/Pool via AP, File)
LONDON — Britain is marking Queen Elizabeth II’s 94th birthday with silence Tuesday, as the nation in lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic forgoes the usual gun salutes and the ringing of bells.
With thousands dead amid the outbreak, the monarch decided that the celebratory display of military firepower would not be appropriate. Nor will there be a celebratory peal of bells at Westminster Abbey, as the church where the queen was married and crowned is currently closed.
The London Palladium celebrates Queen Elizabeth II’s 94th birthday by displaying a message on live screens outside, in central London, Tuesday, April 21, 2020. There will be no gun salutes in honor of the Queen’s birthday, due to the country’s lockdown to control the spread of coronavirus. (Yui Mok/PA via AP)
The royal family took to social media to share images of Elizabeth as she marks the occasion — but in keeping with social distancing rules, there will be no visits.
The queen will mark the day with her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, 98, at Windsor Castle in Berkshire.