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Prince Philip, whom Elizabeth married in 1947,
died on April 9 at the age of 99. The royals paid their final
respects to the family's patriarch at his funeral on Saturday at
Windsor Castle.
Because of COVID-19 restrictions, the queen sat alone during the
sombre service for Philip, who she had described as her
"strength and stay".
Elizabeth, who is also the world's longest-reigning monarch,
will be at the castle for her birthday, which traditionally
passes off with little or no ceremony.
However, this year, with the royals marking two weeks of
mourning, there will be no gun salutes at the Tower of London or
the capital's Hyde park which usually occur on the queen's
birthday.
"I was at the funeral on Saturday, her Majesty was, as always,
more concerned with other people than herself, and she will be
on her birthday," Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury,
told Reuters.
"She doesn't do 'I'm the most important person in the room'. She
does 'I mind about the other people more than about myself'. She
is an extraordinary person."
The queen also has an official birthday, which is usually
celebrated with greater pomp on the second Saturday in June.
Philip's death has robbed Elizabeth of her closest and most
trusted confidant, who had been beside her throughout her
69-year reign.
It also came as she grappled with one of the biggest crises to
hit the royal family in decades - allegations of racism and
neglect against it from her grandson Prince Harry and Meghan,
his American wife.
Newspapers have suggested that family members would be visiting
the queen over the coming days to ensure she would not be left
alone while mourning her late husband.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman declined to comment, saying all
family matters after the funeral would be private.
Elizabeth was born on April 21, 1926, in Bruton Street, central
London. 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.
Elizabeth is also queen of 15 former British colonies including
Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
"I would like to send my warm wishes to Her Majesty The Queen on
her 95th birthday," British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on
Twitter. "I am proud to serve as her prime minister."
(Reporting by Michael Holden and Natalie Thomas; Editing by
Gareth Jones and Mike Collett-White)
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