LONDON (AFP) – Gun salutes will be fired on Thursday to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s 96th birthday, however the monarch herself is expected to be unobtrusive about the event.
The royal family of the United Kingdom has had a difficult year, with fears about the queen’s health and uncertainties about the monarchy’s future.
In the British capital, rounds will be fired from the Tower of London and Hyde Park, where a military band will also perform “Happy Birthday.”
Since the 18th century, the king has also had a second, formal birthday, which is usually celebrated in warmer weather in June.
This year’s formal birthday falls on the same day as four days of public ceremonies marking the queen’s record-breaking 70th year on the throne, from June 2 to 5.
According to British media, the queen flew by helicopter from her Windsor Castle residence west of London to her Sandringham rural estate in eastern England.
She is said to be spending time at the villa where her late husband, Prince Philip, stayed after retiring from public life in 2017.