Downsized ceremony on UK queen's birthday

Queen Elizabeth II’s official birthday was marked on Saturday with a smaller ceremony than usual, as the annual Trooping the Colour parade was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The regular pomp and pageantry, normally a highlight of the royal calendar, was replaced by a small military parade inside the grounds of Windsor Castle.

The Queen received a royal salute, followed by military drills.

The soldiers marched in accordance with social distancing rules.

The Queen celebrated her 94th birthday on April 21, but her 'official' birthday has always been marked with the Trooping the Colour parade in June.

The ‘colours’ refer to the flags representing the different regiments of the British Army.

The event usually features hundreds of parading soldiers and horses, a carriage procession by the royal family, and a Royal Air Force flypast over Buckingham Palace.

This is only the second time in the Queen's long reign that the event has been cancelled - the first time was in 1955 during a national rail strike.