Plans for Queen Elizabeth’s 96th birthday after Prince Philip’s death

Celebrate royally. Queen Elizabeth’s birthday plans for her 96th year have very sentimental value. The elderly Queen traveled to her Sandringham estate the day before her big day, and the Norfolk home holds some memories of the Queen’s late husband, Prince Philip.

Prince Philip died on April 9, 2021, weeks before the Queen’s 95th birthday. In 2021, the Queen canceled her public birthday celebrations such as Trooping the Colors due to social distancing and public mourning for her husband. The Queen spent her birthday surrounded by her family, which included Prince Harry, who moved to California but was visiting for his grandfather’s funeral.

For the Queen’s 96th birthday, she plans to spend the day at the estate, which her late husband treasured after he retired from public service in 2017. The Sandringham estate in Norfolk was purchased in 1862 by the Queen’s great-great-grandparents, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The estate has traditionally been used for the Royal Family’s Christmas celebrations and for visits by the Queen on the anniversary of her father’s death. The late Prince Phillip used the property for his daily country trips from 2017 to 2019, while the Queen stayed at Buckingham Palace to perform her royal duties. Prince Philip reunited with his wife in London during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Buckingham Palace announced the Queen’s celebration plans a week after The Queen drawn from their appearance for Easter Sunday. The Queen’s son Prince Charles and his wife Camila attended in her honor. The Queen recently recovered from COVID-19 in February 2022 and plans to retire from public appearances. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle recently visited the Queen in secret before cheering for his home country at the Invictus Games.

The Queen has also been rumored to be dead following her COVID diagnosis. Now she plans to relax away from the public eye at the estate. “She doesn’t have to be a monarch there,” said a former staffer People. “She may be more Elizabeth than the Queen.”

Image: Courtesy of Random House.

For more on the British royal family, see Sally Bedell Smith’s 2012 biography. Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch
. The New York Times bestseller, which contains the “real story” behind several Netflix storylines The crown, followed the life of Queen Elizabeth II from her childhood as the “heir presumptive” to her father, King George VI; until the moment he met her husband, Prince Philip, when she was 13; until her accession to the throne in 1952 at the age of 25. Elizabeth the Queen, which also includes interviews with Buckingham Palace sources and never-before-seen documents, offers an in-depth look at the Queen’s legacy as one of the most celebrated monarchs in recent history.

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