Queen Elizabeth II moves her birthday celebrations to Zoom

Monitoring Desk

LONDON: Queen Elizabeth II will be ringing in her 94th birthday on Tuesday, cancelling her annual celebrations of a gun salute, while being in quarantine as a large chunk of the global population self-isolates, in the wake of the coronavirus.

As per reports, Her Majesty, in her 68-year reign, will be scrapping off her usual birthday formalities including a parade and a formal gun salute for the first time.

Instead, the monarch is all set to mark her big day in a low-key manner by having a virtual party on video conferencing platform Zoom, where she will be joined by the rest of the royal family members for the special occasion.

As per Daily Mail, “Aides have been planning to set-up video calls to mark the celebration instead, allowing the Queen’s children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to wish her a happy birthday.”

Another source told People, that the usual celebrations were cancelled this year by the Queen who thought it would be ‘inappropriate’ to celebrate at a time when crisis looms over the globe, putting many lives in danger.

“She was keen that no special measures were put in place for gun salutes as she didn’t think it is appropriate in the current lockdown circumstances when people are being requested not to gather and to stay at home. It is thought that it’s the first time in her reign that the salutes have not taken place,” the insider said.