LONDON -- Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday is being marked with a smaller ceremony than usual this year, as the annual Trooping the Color parade is canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The extravagant display of pomp and pageantry is a highlight of the royal calendar that typically attracts thousands of tourists to line the streets of central London.
It has only been canceled once before during almost 70 years of the queen’s reign.
This year, a small number of soldiers and military musicians paid tribute to the monarch at Windsor Castle.
The queen celebrated her 94th birthday on April 21, but her “official” birthday has always been marked with the Trooping the Color parade in June.
