Grieving Queen turns 95 alone just days after husband Philip’s funeral

Grieving Queen turns 95 alone just days after husband Philip’s funeral – with Princess Anne and the Countess of Wessex among the ‘rota’ of royals set to pay her a morale-boosting visit

  • Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her 95th birthday today at Windsor Castle
  • There will be no public celebration as the Royal Family are in mourning following the death of Prince Philip on April 9
  • Members of the family have reportedly agreed a ‘rota’ of visitors to keep the Queen company in the coming days

Queen Elizabeth celebrates her 95 birthday on Wednesday just days after bidding a final farewell to her husband of seven decades Prince Philip.  

The world’s oldest reigning monarch will spend the day at Windsor Castle.

Unlike her official birthday, which is celebrated on the second Saturday in June, Wednesday’s anniversary will pass without public celebration.

It comes as the royals mark two weeks of mourning following Philip’s death on April 9 at the age of 99. 

Because of the mourning period, there will be no gun salutes at the Tower of London nor in Hyde Park, as usually occur on the Queen’s birthday.

Queen Elizabeth celebrates her 95 birthday on Wednesday just days after bidding a final farewell to her husband of seven decades Prince Philip

The world's oldest reigning monarch will spend the day at Windsor Castle. Unlike her official birthday, which is celebrated on the second Saturday in June, Wednesday's anniversary will pass without public celebration

The world’s oldest reigning monarch will spend the day at Windsor Castle. Unlike her official birthday, which is celebrated on the second Saturday in June, Wednesday’s anniversary will pass without public celebration

The Queen has said she was ‘coping’ after the funeral of her husband on Saturday and was spotted a day later driving out of Windsor Castle in a green Jaguar. 

Reports have suggested that family members have agreed a rota to visit the Queen over the coming days to ensure that she is not left alone while mourning Philip, to whom she was married for 73 years. 

Princess Anne and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, are reported to be among the Queen’s first visitors.  

Because the Royal Family are in mourning, there will be no gun salutes at the Tower of London nor in Hyde Park, as usually occur on the Queen's birthday. Pictured: The queen looks at some of the cards she received for her 80th birthday [File photo]

Because the Royal Family are in mourning, there will be no gun salutes at the Tower of London nor in Hyde Park, as usually occur on the Queen’s birthday. Pictured: The queen looks at some of the cards she received for her 80th birthday [File photo]

Pictured: Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip wave to guests during celebrations for the Queen's 90th birthday in 2016 [File photo]

Pictured: Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip wave to guests during celebrations for the Queen’s 90th birthday in 2016 [File photo]

She will also be visited by her son Andrew and granddaughter Eugenie in the coming days, the Mirror reported. 

Camilla is also expected to visit the Queen this week. 

‘The Queen will not be alone. She will have others who care about her deeply and want to be there to support her in her most pressing hour,’ a source told The Mirror

Pictured: The Queen and Prince Philip attend a Thanksgiving Service at St Paul's Cathedral held in honour of the queen's 80th birthday in 2006 [File photo]

Pictured: The Queen and Prince Philip attend a Thanksgiving Service at St Paul’s Cathedral held in honour of the queen’s 80th birthday in 2006 [File photo]

Queen Elizabeth will spend her birthday at Windsor Castle. Pictured: Queen Elizabeth at Windsor on the occasion of her 50th birthday in 1976 [File photo]

Queen Elizabeth will spend her birthday at Windsor Castle. Pictured: Queen Elizabeth at Windsor on the occasion of her 50th birthday in 1976 [File photo]

‘In typical fashion the Queen has insisted she is coping and despite the suggestion she had prepared herself for this day to come, everyone is well aware there is nothing like the experience when it comes.’

The Queen, who was born on April 21, 1926, in Bruton Street, central London, grew up not expecting to become queen. 

Her father, George VI, only took the crown when his elder brother Edward VIII abdicated in 1936 to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson.

She ascended to the throne in 1952 at the age of 25, and surpassed her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria as Britain’s longest reigning monarch in September 2015.  

The Queen, who was born on April 21, 1926, in Bruton Street, central London, grew up not expecting to become queen. Her father, George VI, only took the crown when his elder brother Edward VIII abdicated in 1936 to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. Pictured: The newly-born Princess Elizabeth with her mother and father

The Queen, who was born on April 21, 1926, in Bruton Street, central London, grew up not expecting to become queen. Her father, George VI, only took the crown when his elder brother Edward VIII abdicated in 1936 to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. Pictured: The newly-born Princess Elizabeth with her mother and father

The Queen  ascended to the throne in 1952 at the age of 25, and surpassed her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria as Britain's longest reigning monarch in September 2015. Pictured: Princess Elizabeth, as she was then, with a pony in 1939

The Queen  ascended to the throne in 1952 at the age of 25, and surpassed her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria as Britain’s longest reigning monarch in September 2015. Pictured: Princess Elizabeth, as she was then, with a pony in 1939