Mini Trooping the Colour at Windsor Castle planned for Queen's birthday

A mini version of Trooping the Colour will take place at Windsor Castle to mark the Queen’s official birthday.

The Queen, who turned 94 in isolation in her Berkshire home, is facing a quieter official birthday too, as the usual military parade cannot take place in its usual way, because of the coronavirus pandemic.

But it has emerged that a smaller version of the parade, which the Queen used to ride in herself, will take place in Windsor with no crowds.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “There will be a small, brief, military ceremony at Windsor Castle to mark the Queen’s official birthday.”

Trooping the Colour became the monarch’s official birthday around the time of George II, whose November birthday was often hit by bad weather.

To remedy this, he co-opted the annual Trooping in the summer as his official celebrations.

Read more: Why does the Queen have two birthdays?

Since then, the monarch has marked their own birthday quietly and had a formal celebration in June.

The Queen’s father held the Trooping on the second Thursday in June, but she moved it to the second Saturday in June.

This is likely to be the first time the ceremony has been held in Windsor.

Her 94th birthday was particularly quiet this year because of the pandemic. The Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, have been in Windsor Castle since the middle of March and look unlikely to go anywhere else any time soon.

She would usually be there each weekend, having conducted her working week from Buckingham Palace. They would spend the summer together in Scotland, but it’s not clear if they will be able to go this year.

Philip, who turns 99 next week, would be at their Norfolk home of Sandringham.

Read more: Queen seen in public for first time since coronavirus lockdown began

The Queen’s official birthday is three days after her husband’s birthday, which will reportedly be a quiet affair this year. The palace does not comment on private matters.

The Trooping the Colour ends each year with the Royal Family gathering on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the RAF Flypast.

It’s understood Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had intended to take up their invitation to the celebration this year, despite their move to Los Angeles.

Prince Andrew was unlikely to attend. He has reportedly been permanently sidelined from royal duties after his disastrous interview about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.

The Queen has had to cancel many of her usual royal events this year, including the Buckingham Palace garden parties, and even called off the gun salutes which would have marked her real birthday in April.

Read more: Things you never knew were on the Queen's land – from fast-food chains to shopping centres

She will likely be buoyed by the return of horse racing, and her coronation day on Tuesday was marked with a win in Kempton.

She was seen riding her horse earlier this week, the first pictures of her out and about since the lockdown began.