Happy birthday, Elizabeth II. Trooping the Color, flag parade, in Windsor instead of London for the second year due to pandemic. But the queen’s official birthday celebrated today in the quadrangle, the quadrangle courtyard of the medieval manor which also gave the name to George V to rename the Teutonic house of Saxe Coburg Gotha, already has the flavor of almost normal. There is not Philip at Elizabeth’s side, as for an entire existence, but the Duke of Kent, Prince Edward.
If a year ago the homage of the guards to the queen – who also commander in chief as well as head of state – had been sparse and very modest, the deployment of men today is huge. And last night’s precedent when Her Majesty met the leaders gathered by the G7 in Cornwall did the rest.
But the highlight is expected tomorrow, when Elizabeth meets US President Joe Biden with his wife Jill in Windsor. Same location where in 2018 he opened his doors to his predecessor Donald Trump.
Of course, today Elizabeth II had imagined a much happier celebration. There is a desire on the part of Her Majesty that the Queen’s Birthday Parade 2021 (the parade of the Trooping the Color, with the parade of flags to mark the official birthday of the sovereign which culminates in the view from the balcony of Buckingham Palace, ed.) Will have solemnly, I was answered by Buckingham Palace when I asked about plans for his birthday. In short, there was all Elisabetta’s desire to celebrate with that Pomp and Circumstance and that Pageantry, with that taste for ceremonies that has distinguished great moments at court in London for centuries. The occasion also to pay homage to his Filippo who today would also have celebrated his century of life, with a public moment.
Fate, with the death of Filippo in April, changed the plans. But this did not break Elizabeth’s iron will, confirmed yesterday by her arrival at the Eden Project in Cornwall for the evening with the G7 leaders. And tomorrow the expected meeting at Windsor Castle with Joe and Jill Biden. At Windsor Castle where she had welcomed George and Laura Bush in 2008, and where in the 1980s she had received the American President Ronald Reagan, as fond of horses as she was, so much so that they set off at a gallop on the castle estate.
One thing certain, Elizabeth this time, meeting Biden, will miss Philip’s shoulder who not only loved the Windsor manor very much and knew its history but was personally interested in the reconstruction and restoration after the fire of the 90s. It was he, Philip, together with Prince Charles, who took care of the restoration of Windsor Castle which was partially destroyed in 1992. For the reconstruction of Windsor Castle, Philip personally took care of restoring the five staterooms to their original splendor and also sketched the drawings. for the reconstruction of the destroyed Gothic windows.
June 12, 2021 (change June 12, 2021 | 13:51)
© REPRODUCTION RESERVED