The Queen has been forced to cancel her birthday plans

(Image credit: Chris Jackson)

The Queen will celebrate her birthday next month, with the monarch turning 95 in April, the first of her two birthdays this year.

Yes, the Queen has two birthdays a year, celebrating on the actual day, April 21st, and then also having an official birthday in June to publicly mark the occasion, commemorated with the annual Trooping the Colour parade.

The Queen usually celebrates her actual birthday privately, so it is her official birthday in June that is already making the most news.

Last month, it was reported that there would be a change to the line up, with The Sunday Times reporting that Prince Andrew would no longer be taking part in the 12 June celebrations.

This week, even bigger news emerged as it was reported that the Queen's traditional Trooping the Colour parade in London has been cancelled for the second year in a row, with the palace reportedly considering other options.

'Following consultation with government and other relevant parties it has been agreed that The Queen's Official Birthday Parade, also known as Trooping the Colour, will not go ahead this year in its traditional form in central London,' the Palace explained in a statement.

'Options for an alternative Parade, in the quadrangle at Windsor Castle, are being considered.'

Following last year's cancellation of The Queen's Official Birthday Parade due to COVID-19, a scaled-back Trooping the Colour was held at Windsor Castle for the Queen alone. And while members of the public were not present, it did air on TV for the nation to watch along.

We will continue to update this story.

Jenny Proudfoot
Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.