TV presenter Ben Fogle has called on the nation to join together in singing Happy Birthday to the Queen on her 94th birthday next week.

But the adventurer’s suggestion has been met with scathing responses on Twitter.

Fogle wrote: “It’s the Queens birthday next Tuesday. Let’s throw her a surprise.

“At 9am 21st April, we are calling on the whole country to sing Happy Birthday from our windows and doorsteps.

“Let our song bring good cheer not just to Her Majesty but to the whole nation #singforthequeen.”

Fogle’s tweet has had more than 7,000 likes, but he also faced a barrage of criticism.

Ben Fogle and the Queen
Ben Fogle meeting the Queen at Windsor Castle in 2010 (John Stillwell/PA)

One Twitter user replied: “Put a sock (in it) Fogle. Just ask for a knighthood like everyone else”, while another wrote: “Really misread the room with this one Ben.”

Empire magazine journalist Chris Hewitt said: “I shall be singing from my window at 9am on April 21. But I’m not sure Ben Fogle is going to be a fan of the lyrics.”

Another declared: “Ben Fogle accidentally brings the nation together as Twitter does its thing.”

Graham Smith, chief executive of Republic which campaigns for an elected head of state, remarked: “Or we could all sing Can I Have My Money Back?”

Others called for a Yodel for Fogle instead and pointed out it was no longer a surprise, while another retorted: “When the Queen works on the frontline of a NHS hospital/care home to help Covid patients I’d happily do this.

“But until then let’s save the clapping/singing for the frontline heroes shall we?”

The Queen, the country’s longest reigning monarch, has been staying at Windsor Castle during lockdown with the 98-year-old Duke of Edinburgh, and has addressed the nation in a rare televised broadcast.

The head of state said if we “remain united and resolute” in the face of the coronavirus outbreak “we will overcome it”.