The Queen appeared at Buckingham Palace on Thursday during the festivities and took part in a beacon lighting ceremony from Windsor Castle in the evening.
“The Queen enjoyed today’s birthday parade and flypast very much, but felt some discomfort,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
“Given the travel and activity required to participate in tomorrow’s national service of thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Her Majesty has concluded with great reluctance that she will not attend,” a- he continued.
Earlier on Thursday, the 96-year-old Queen watched from the palace’s famous balcony at a sea of red, white and blue as huge flag-waving crowds flocked to the mall to see the monarch and her family.
The area around Buckingham Palace and nearby St James’s Park was packed with local and international tourists – some of whom had camped overnight – to watch the first event of the four-day weekend’s bumper celebrations.
And after seven decades of service, the sovereign has lived up to her reputation as a loyal fan of the crowd. She may not have lived up to the ceremonial role of riding a horse as part of Trooping the Color, but she still thrilled fans with her balcony presence after the military parade.
Dressed in a dark dove blue Angela Kelly ensemble with a matching hat, the Queen smiled as she took the salute as soldiers and officers returned from Horse Guards Parade after the end of her birthday parade.
The “great military spectacle” – as it was described by the UK Ministry of Defense – involved “months of training and centuries of tradition”, as well as 1,500 soldiers and officers, 400 musicians, 250 horses and 70 planes.
Other members of the royal family traveled through the mall by horse-drawn carriage to the parade ground, including Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, accompanied by her three children and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
As the Color of the Irish Guards trooped out on Horse Guards Parade, during which military bands played in formation and performed a tricky maneuver called ‘the spinning wheel’, other members of the Royal Family watched from the office of the major general nearby.
Shortly after, the Queen appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with her cousin the Duke of Kent.
But earlier, the Sussexes had watched the Trooping the Color event with other senior royals from the Major General’s office near Horse Guards Parade, in their first public appearance with the royal family since they called it quits. to work as members of the royal family two years ago.
The Queen’s decision to only invite royals to work on the balcony also meant that Prince Andrew, who was stripped of his royal duties and his HRH title in January following his trial for civil sexual assault in the United States, did not appear on the balcony. It later emerged that he will also be unable to join his family members at Friday’s thanksgiving service, as he tested positive for coronavirus. A royal source told CNN the duke had seen his mother in recent days but was having regular tests and had not seen her since testing positive.
For many, the highlight of the proceedings was the spectacular RAF flypast, an awe-inspiring air show involving 70 aircraft, including the Red Arrows.
There was, however, one person who didn’t seem too impressed with the display – 4-year-old Prince Louis. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s youngest child was pictured with her hands over her ears and pulling faces as the show to celebrate her great-grandmother’s 70 years on the throne turned out to be a bit overwhelming.
Nonetheless, his family didn’t seem remotely bothered by Prince Louis’ refusal to maintain protocol, as they smiled and chatted as the planes continued flying – even at one point in formation to dial the number 70.
