Everyone would love to
celebrate two birthdays a year, but the privilege is exclusively reserved
for the Queen. Her Majesty, 96, celebrates it twice: her actual birth date
on 21 April and her official birthday in June at Trooping the Colour –
but why?
Why
does the Queen celebrate two birthdays?
Historically, official
celebrations to mark a sovereign’s birthday have often been held on a day other
than their actual birthday. This is usually true when their actual birthday
does not land in
Why
is the Queen’s birthday different to her actual birthday?
The tradition started in 1748
with George II, who was born in chilly November. Instead of risking his
subjects catching a cold, he combined his birthday celebration with the annual
spring parade known as Trooping the Colour.
While the Queen tends to spend
her actual birthday in April privately, the occasion is usually marked publicly
by gun salutes in central London at midday: a 41-gun salute in Hyde Park, a 21
gun salute in Windsor Great Park and a 62 gun salute at the Tower of London.
What
happens at the Queen’s June birthday celebration?
On her official birthday in
June – which traditionally falls on the second Saturday of the month, although
this year will be marked on Thursday 2 June due to the big Platinum
Jubilee celebrations – Her Majesty is joined by various members of the
royal family at the annual Trooping the Colour parade.
The ceremony is steeped in
tradition and involves a military parade and the chance for the Queen to
inspect her personal troops, the Household Division, on Horse Guards Parade in
London. More than 1,400 officers take part as well as 200 horses and over 400
musicians from ten bands. In the past, royal family members including Prince
William, Prince Charles and Princess Anne have participated on horseback.
On the day, the royals travel
in procession via horse-drawn carriage from Buckingham Palace, along The Mall
to Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall and back again. When Her Majesty arrives at
Horse Guards Parade, she is greeted by a royal salute and inspects the troops.
The band also performs a musical troop as the regimental flag – or colour – is
carried down the ranks.
The Queen is then driven back
to Buckingham Palace as the head of her Guards. The royal family stand on the
balcony of Buckingham Palace to greet crowds and watch the spectacular RAF
flypast. This is a chance for younger members of the family to make an appearance,
as they wouldn’t take part in the morning carriage procession until they are a
bit older.
How
will the Queen’s June birthday celebration be different this year?
This year will be slightly
different as Buckingham Palace previously announced that only working
royals would join the Queen on the balcony, such as Prince Charles and
Camilla, and Prince William and Kate. Other members of the Firm, however, will
still be part of the celebrations – just not for the highly anticipated balcony
moment.
