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Queen Elizabeth II has no plans to mark her 95th birthday this week

The queen won't celebrate her 95th birthday on Wednesday following the funeral for her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.
/ Source: TODAY

Queen Elizabeth II has no plans to mark her 95th birthday on Wednesday following the death of her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, on April 9 at age 99, NBC News has confirmed.

The queen's birthday comes only days after she attended her husband's funeral at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on Saturday. Though her official birthday is celebrated by the public in June, the queen has always celebrated privately with her family on her real birthday, April 21.

She will likely gather for a private lunch with close relatives this year, according to the British newspaper The Telegraph. However, the customary gun salutes that typically sound at midday in London on the queen's birthday have been canceled for the second year in a row as the queen continues mourning the loss of her husband.

Image: ,??*** BESTPIX *** The Funeral Of Prince Philip, Duke Of Edinburgh Is Held In Windsor
Queen Elizabeth II sits alone at the funeral for her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. Yui Mok / Getty Images

Last year, the queen asked that the gun salutes be canceled in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Her public birthday celebrations in June last year were also canceled because of COVID-19 concerns.

Typically, the queen, like other royals, also marks her birthday by releasing a new portrait of herself each year. She has no plans to release a portrait this year, according to People.

In photos taken at Philip's funeral on Saturday, the queen cut a solemn, solitary figure. She was seen sitting alone in the chapel wearing a protective black face mask that matched her black ensemble.

While royal funerals are traditionally attended by thousands, the Duke of Edinburgh’s service, which he largely planned himself, was a much smaller affair, with only 30 close family members in attendance along with 730 members of the armed forces.

The royal family adhered to COVID-19 precautions and social distancing guidelines — rules that forced the queen to remain alone as she said goodbye to her husband of more than 73 years.

The royal couple famously wrote love letters to one another dating all the way back to their courtship, beginning when both were teenagers. In keeping with that sweet tradition, Elizabeth wrote a final letter to Philip and had it placed atop his casket. Photos of the letter, written on the queen's custom stationery, appeared to show that it read in part, “I love you.”

“The queen has been left absolutely devastated,” NBC News royal contributor Camilla Tominey told Weekend TODAY following Philip's death.

A day ahead of the funeral, the queen shared a private, never-before-seen photo of herself and Philip. The photo, taken in 2003, showed the couple at the top of the Coyles of Muick in Scotland on the Balmoral estate.

“He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know," read the photo's caption, a quote attributed to the queen herself.

Other family members who attended Philip's memorial service included Prince Harry and his older brother, Prince William, who walked behind their grandfather's coffin alongside their father, Prince Charles, and several other royals.

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, also attended, while Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, remained in California after not being given clearance to fly from her doctor due to her second pregnancy.