Trooping the Colour, the annual public celebration of Queen Elizabeth's birthday, which usually sees the royal family gather on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, had some familiar faces missing for the second consecutive year on Saturday.
According to Fox News, this year's festivities at Windsor Castle only hosted two royals, the Queen and her cousin, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent. The palace had announced in March that due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Trooping the Colour 2021 would again be scaled down.
"Following consultation with Government and other relevant parties it has been agreed that The Queen's Official Birthday Parade, also known as Trooping the Colour, will not go ahead this year in its traditional form in central London," they had said.
Currently in the UK, outdoor gatherings are limited to 30 people and indoor gatherings are limited to six people or two households.
Kate Middleton and Prince William last appeared for Trooping the Colour in 2019 along with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
While some members of the royal family, including Prince William and Prince Charles, ride horses in the parade wearing full military regalia, including large bearskin hats, others take part in the parade via carriages.
It's possible that Prince George and Princess Charlotte are now old enough to join the procession. Prince William had made his carriage debut in 1987, just weeks ahead of his fifth birthday.
In 2020, the army had staged a smaller-scale parade and celebration at Windsor Castle with just the Queen in attendance.
As per Fox News, although the Queen's 95th birthday was on April 21, Trooping the Colour always takes place in the early summer of the second weekend in June, because the weather is nicer then.
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