Royal Heartbreak: Queen Elizabeth II Celebrates Saddest Birthday Ever
Reaching the age of 94 is a huge milestone, especially if you are the head of the monarchy for more than 67 years. But April 21 is no time to celebrate, as Queen Elizabeth II just had the saddest birthday ever.
Aside from ditching major gatherings for her birthday due to the coronavirus pandemic, Queen Elizabeth also released a consoling message for the victims of the tragic shooting in Nova Scotia over the weekend.
Through the Royal Family's official social media pages, the Queen posted her and Prince Philip's message of condolences to the Governor-General and Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia in Canada concerning the mass shooting incident that took the lives of 19 innocent people.
"Prince Philip and I have been deeply saddened by the appalling events in Nova Scotia, and we send our condolences to the friends, friends, and colleagues of those who have lost their lives," the statement read.
The head of the royal family also honored the sacrifice of the officers who immediately responded to the tragic incident.
"I also pay tribute to the bravery and sacrifice of the officers from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and other police services who selflessly responded to these devastating attacks, and to the emergency services who are supporting those who have been injured and affected," the message continued.
The Queen concluded her message by saying: "My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Nova Scotia and all Canadians at this tragic time."
The statement was also released in French, which is the second most common language in the Commonwealth country.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by The Royal Family (@theroyalfamily) on Apr 21, 2020 at 4:16am PDT
It began when authorities chased a 51-year-old gunman identified as Gabriel Wortman in the small town of Portapique. He then went across the province and eventually shot more victims.
According to the police, the incident is not a random act of violence to begin with. But the shooting progressed randomly. The mass shooting is now considered one of the deadliest bloodbaths in Canada.
How Queen Elizabeth II Celebrated Her Birthday?
Because of the increasing cases of COVID-19 patients in the United Kingdom, the Queen had to celebrate her 94th year in private at Windsor Castle, where she is isolating with her 98-year-old husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.
But no lockdown or quarantine could prevent the rest of the royal family from sending well wishes for the beloved Queen. According to reports, the royal staffers arranged a virtual gathering for the family using the video calling app Zoom.
The family has been using virtual chat to keep in touch with each other since the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.K. They are also using it to connect with charities and key workers.
Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth also requested to dismiss the traditional special gun salute to mark her birthday.
"Her Majesty was keen that no special measures were put in place to allow gun salutes as she did not feel it appropriate in the current circumstances," a palace spokesperson said.
The official birthday celebration of Trooping the Colour in June was also cancelled, and the Queen did not make any further plans to celebrate her 94th year.
