Inside the Royals' Private Birthday Celebration for Late Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II will always have a special place in the hearts of the royal family, even if they don’t publicly display it.
Sunday, April 21, marked the late queen’s second birthday since her death in September 2022. Most of the royal family didn’t honor Her Majesty outwardly, but according to former staffer Grant Harrold there would’ve been celebrations behind closed doors.
“They won’t publicly do anything. Privately, I have no doubt they’ll raise a toast to her in the evening,” Harrold, who worked for King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla, from 2004 to 2011, told Slingo via People. “I’m sure the day will very much be spent reflecting on the late queen.”
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The former employee, who crossed paths with Elizabeth on occasion, explained that queen’s family would pay homage in subtle ways.
“I can almost guarantee that if you were to go to Windsor Castle that day, it’s very likely there’ll be some flowers on the tomb that have been sent by the family members,” he said. “Sometimes on royal anniversaries, flowers are sent to royal graves. It’s very possible there will be flowers on the tombstone.”
British locals (or visiting tourists) could also pay their respects to the late royal by leaving bouquets at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle where the queen was buried.
While the king, 75, and his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, didn’t pen a public tribute to Elizabeth, the royals did unveil a statue in Rutland, England to mark her birthday. (The family, however, wasn’t in attendance to see it happen in real time.)
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Travelers far and wide descended upon the area on Sunday to see the new bronze monument located outside a library in Oakham. Lord Lieutenant of Rutland, Dr. Sarah Furness, commissioned the sculpture by artist Hywel Pratley.
In addition to standing 7 feet tall, the piece featured many of the queen’s beloved corgis in statue form.
Back in London, the queen’s ex-daughter-in-law Sarah Ferguson honored the monarch on what would’ve been her 98th birthday.
“Today we are remembering Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” Ferguson, who was married to Elizabeth’s son Prince Andrew from 1986 to 1996, wrote via Instagram on Sunday. “Thank you for all that you have taught us, for being a steadfast leader and dear friend. You are sorely missed.”
The understated celebration of the queen’s birthday comes amid recent health scares involving multiple members of the royal family.
Ferguson, 64, confirmed in January that she was diagnosed with skin cancer months after undergoing a mastectomy. She was previously diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer in June 2023.
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Buckingham Palace announced in February that the king was battling cancer after undergoing a successful prostate surgery. The type and severity of his illness has not been disclosed, but the monarch has returned to work during his treatments.
The following month, Princess Kate Middleton revealed that she was recently diagnosed with cancer after undergoing a stomach surgery earlier in the year.
“The surgery was successful, however, tests after the operation found cancer had been present,” she shared in a March video statement. “My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy, and I’m now in the early stages of that treatment.”
