Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 96th birthday on April 21. Her “official” birthday, however, will be on Saturday, June 11th this year.
While the Queen receives many letters from well-wishers from all across the world, her birthday can be a source of uncertainty for some.
This is because the monarch’s birthday is commemorated on her actual birthday in April, as well as with a huge parade by Buckingham Palace later in the summer.
To commemorate Her Majesty‘s Platinum Jubilee weekend, this year, the Queen’s Birthday Parade, Trooping the Colour, will take place on June 2 instead of June 11.
So why does the Queen celebrate two birthdays every year? Here’s everything one needs to know.
When does the Queen’s birthday fall?
The Queen was born On April 21, 1926.
She was born by Caesarean section at her maternal grandparents’ Mayfair home at 2.40 a.m.
How does the Queen celebrate?
According to the royal family’s official website, the Queen customarily celebrates her birthday in private.
A 41-gun salute will be fired in Hyde Park, a 21-gun salute will be fired in Windsor Great Park, and a 62-gun salute will be fired at the Tower of London.
The gun salutes are typically performed on the monarch’s birthday. The salute has not taken place in the last two years due to the continuing coronavirus lockdown.
What is the significance of the Queen’s second birthday?
The custom of the British monarch having two birthdays dates back to King George II’s reign in 1748.
The weather was not conducive to a major public birthday celebration because the king’s birthday happened in late autumn.
As a result, the monarch’s formal birthday celebrations were merged with the summer Trooping the Colour parade, which had hitherto been primarily a military event.
When is the Queen’s second birthday?
The Queen’s second birthday dubbed her “official birthday,” falls on the second Saturday of June every year.
The Queen used to celebrate her official birthday on the second Thursday in June, the same day that her father, King George VI, did during his reign.
This custom was changed in 1959, seven years after the Queen assumed the throne.
What is the Queen’s official birthday celebration?
The Trooping the Colour parade is the highlight of the Queen’s official birthday celebrations in June.
The Trooping the Colour parade generally includes around 1,400 troops, 200 horses, and 400 musicians. They march along The Mall from Buckingham Palace to the Horse Guard’s Parade.
As part of the ceremony, members of the royal family ride on horseback or in carriages.
The parade concludes with an RAF fly-past, which the Queen and the royal family watch from the Buckingham Palace balcony.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the ceremony was held in Windsor rather than London last year. Also, many members of the royal family did not attend.
With limitations relaxed across the United Kingdom, Trooping the Colour is set to take place in London on Thursday, June 2nd, rather than the Queen’s official birthday, Saturday, June 11th.
It’s one of several major events scheduled to commemorate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. It will mark her 70th year on the throne.