London, (Samajweekly) Queen Elizabeth II, who turned 95, gave her birthday message to thank the public for the “support and kindness” to her family and herself after the death of her husband, Prince Philip.
The Queen’s birthday, which comes a few days after the late prince’s April 17 funeral, was marked in a low-key, private way, as there was no public celebrations when the monarch continues to observe two weeks of mourning until Friday, Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.
Traditional gun salutes to mark the Queen’s birthday have been cancelled for the second consecutive year.
In a statement published on the royal family Twitter account, the Queen said she has received and appreciated many messages of good wishes on her 95th birthday.
“While as a family we are in a period of great sadness, it has been a comfort to us all to see and to hear the tributes paid to my husband, from those within the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and around the world.”
“My family and I would like to thank you all for the support and kindness shown to us in recent days,” the statement said.
The funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh, who died on April 9 at the age of 99, was held last Saturday in Windsor in line with the country’s public health guidelines.
