S'poreans & British expats mark Queen Elizabeth II's 94th birthday with a toast

The world's longest-reining monarch commemorated her official 94th birthday with a reduced celebration amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kayla Wong | June 14, 2020, 10:00 AM

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II marked her official 94th birthday on Saturday, June 13.

Raising a toast

Singaporeans and British expats in Singapore celebrated the occasion by raising a toast to the queen, who is the world's oldest and longest-reigning monarch.

Instagram users posted pictures of their toast to the queen as well, using the hashtag #QueensBirthdayToastSg.

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Commemorating the queen's 94th birthday on Facebook live

The initiative was part of the short programme hosted by the British High Commission in Singapore to mark the queen's official birthday.

The programme, which was streamed on a live Facebook video, started off with a speech by the British High Commissioner to Singapore, Kara Owen.

Screengrab via UK in Singapore/Facebook

Owen highlighted the partnership between Singapore and the United Kingdom in several areas, such as free trade, tech, climate and sustainability, education and research, as well as security and resilience.

The Prime Ministers of both countries are working together on global issues as "committed guardians of the international system", such as supporting global access to vaccines, she said.

Queen called for unity in global fight against Covid-19

She ended her speech by citing a message from the queen, who called for unity in a trying time.

The queen said: "At this time we join with all nations across the globe in a common endeavour, using the great advances of science and our instinctive compassion to heal, we will succeed and that success will belong to every one of us."

Singapore and the U.K. working closely together

Senior Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Trade and Industry Tan Wu Meng gave a speech too.

Screengrab via UK in Singapore/Facebook

Tan said that as a medical doctor who was trained in the U.K., he is "particularly heartened" by stories of Singapore healthcare professionals working on the NHS (National Health System) frontline, as well as their British counterparts contributing to Singapore's healthcare system.

He also highlighted the cooperation between both countries in providing consular assistance that allowed both Singapore and British nationals to return home safely.

Saying that the U.K. is host to one of the largest communities of overseas Singaporeans, Tan said both countries are working together to jointly transition to a new normal that will address the concerns of all, including those who call either country their home.

You can watch the entire 16-minute programme here:

 

First official public appearance amid the pandemic

Her first official public appearance since Covid-19 safety measures were placed on the country in March, the monarch marked the occasion with a subdued celebration that included a military ceremony at Windsor Castle.

While her official birthday is typically marked with the Trooping the Colour parade, Buckingham Palace announced in March the cancellation of the parade this year in light of restrictions amid the ongoing pandemic, the BBC reported.

Image via WPA Pool/Getty Images

The queen's real birthday is actually on April 21.

But British royals mark their official birthdays on the second Saturday of June due to a tradition set by King George II back in 1748 to make sure that his birthday could be commemorated on a day when the weather would be good, according to the BBC.

Top image adapted via The Royal Family/Twitter & UK in Singapore/Facebook