LONDON — Britain is marking Queen Elizabeth II's 94th birthday with silence, as the nation in lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic forgoes the usual gun salutes and ringing of bells.

With thousands dead, the monarch decided that the celebratory display of military firepower would not be “appropriate.’’ Nor will there be a celebratory peal of bells from Westminster Abbey, as the church where the queen was married and crowned is currently closed.

The royal family took to social media to share images of Elizabeth as she marks the occasion.

The queen will mark the day with her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, at Windsor Castle in Berkshire.