Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II will not celebrate her birthday on Tuesday with a traditional gun salute due to the coronavirus crisis, Buckingham Palace said on Saturday.
“There will be no gun salutes. Her Majesty was keen that no special measures were put in place to allow gun salutes as she did not feel it appropriate in the current circumstances,” the palace told AFP.
The queen, who turns 94 on Tuesday, made a rare national address at Easter, saying that “we know that coronavirus will not overcome us” and that “we will meet again” after the country’s lockdown is lifted.
Lockdown orders were made last month, and extended this week for another three weeks as the country’s official death toll from the virus hit 14,576.
- AFP