Elizabeth II’s Birthdays … How Many? … She’s Had More than You’d Think
The Queen has many birthdays … every year. Yes, every year!
First, an early warning + an exciting end-of-story opportunity:
This birthday article may strike you as just a boring list of dates and occasions, and you might be tempted to switch off and abandon the read. But I would encourage you to complete the read … even if you simply scroll down to the end in a speed-read sort-of-way, because, at the end there’s a link to another of my Royal stories (a true tale), that ends by offering you a most exciting opportunity. If you take up the offer you might even become famous. Bet you can’t wait!
The Queen’s Birthday story:
Queen Elizabeth’s Official Birthday is the selected day in the UK and most British Commonwealth countries on which the birthday of the monarch is officially celebrated in those countries.
However, it does not necessarily correspond to the date of the monarch’s actual birth!
The sovereign’s birthday was first officially marked in the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1748, for King George II. Since then, the date of the king or queen’s birthday has been determined throughout the British Empire and Commonwealth either by royal proclamation, or by laws passed by each national parliament of state parliaments.
The date of the celebration varies from country to country. Here are some examples:
United Kingdom:
Even here, where the monarch resides, the royal birthday’s date has been changed several times.
Edward VII (1901 to 1910) was born on November 9th (almost winter-time), so he had it moved to summer a summer date in the hope of good weather!
Queen Elizabeth II’s Official Birthday was originally celebrated on the second Thursday of June, the same day that her father, King George VI, celebrated it. However, this was changed in 1959, seven years after she became Queen; and her Official Birthday is now celebrated on the second Saturday of June!
The day is marked in London by the ceremony of Trooping the Colour, which is also known as the Queen’s Birthday Parade.
The photo shows 2 guardsmen on horseback, flanked by the Union Jack Flag.
In the UK the Queen’s birthday is not celebrated as a public holiday, but some civil servants are given a “privilege day” (a day’s holiday!). There used to be 2.5 privilege days awarded each year to civil servants, but now, the Queen’s birthday is the last remaining one, the other 1.5 days having been abolished in 2014. (Britain moves with the times! … slow……ly) !!
Australia:
The date of the Queen’s birthday is ‘all-over-the-place’ in Australia ... different in some States than others, but unlike the UK, the birthday is a public holiday.
There are 8 Australian states and territories. Six of them observe the Queen’s Birthday on the second Monday in June. In the State of Western Australia the Queen’s representative (the Governor) proclaims the day on which the state will observe the Queen’s Birthday, based on school terms and the Perth Royal Show! So, it therefore can vary! And to make matters worse, some regional areas of Western Australia celebrate the Queen’s Birthday with a public holiday on days that coincide with locally significant dates or events.
The State of Queensland used to recognise the birthday in June, but in 2012, it celebrated the holiday in October, as the June holiday was reserved to mark her Diamond Jubilee as Queen of Australia, after which the holiday then for three years reverted to the traditional June date. However, starting in 2016, Queensland changed it again … celebrating the holiday on the first Monday of October.
Want more Australian complications? Norfolk Island celebrates Bounty Day on 8 June, so Queen’s Birthday is held on the Monday after the second Saturday in June. Christmas Island (an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean) has other holidays and does not hold a Queen’s Birthday holiday at all!
Canada:
A royal proclamation issued on 5 February 1957 established the Canadian monarch’s official birthday as the last Monday before 25 May, but the history of Canada’s birthday decisions is very complex. Here are just a few examples:
- The Sovereign’s birthday had been observed in Canada since 1845, when the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada passed a statute to authorize the recognition of Queen Victoria’s birthday (24th May) as a public holiday. After Queen Victoria died in 1901, 24th May became Victoria Day, until 1952, when the Monday before 25 May became known as Victoria Day.
- The official date in Canada of the reigning monarch’s birthday then changed through various Royal Proclamations: (for King Edward VII it continued by yearly proclamation to be observed on 24th May, but was the 3rd of June for George V and 23rd June for Edward VIII).
- Edward VIII abdicated on 11 December 1936, three days before the birthday of his brother and successor, George VI and despite the new king expressing to his ministers that he wished his birthday not be publicly celebrated, the prime minister and the rest of the Cabinet, and the Governor general, felt otherwise. The outcome: George VI’s official birthday in Canada was thereafter marked on various days between 20 May and 14 June!! ****** “That’s the power of the civil service”: … Sir Humphrey ******
- The first official birthday of Elizabeth II, daughter of George VI, was the last to be celebrated in June (in Canada); the haphazard format was abandoned in 1952, when the governor general moved an amendment to the law to make Victoria Day & The Monarch’s Birthday the Monday before 25 May, (both on the same day!). The two holidays are in law entirely distinct except for being appointed to be observed on the same day … such is this peculiar variation in choosing the monarch’s official birthday. (another example of civil service ‘control’?)
And how about this for yet another weird variation in Canada: The Queen’s official birthday is marked by flying the Union Jack Flag on certain buildings, but only if there is a second flag pole available!
New Zealand:
In New Zealand, Queen’s Birthday is a public holiday observed on the first Monday in June. Celebrations are mainly official, including the Queen’s Birthday Honours list and military ceremonies. There have been proposals, with some political support, to replace the holiday with Matariki (Māori New Year) as an official holiday. Also … an idea to rename the Queen’s Birthday weekend ‘Hillary Weekend’, after mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary, (the first to conquer Mount Everest) This suggestion was raised in 2009.
British Overseas Territories & Other Commonwealth countries:
The Queen’s official birthday is a public holiday in most British overseas territories, and in most other Commonwealth countries. For instance: Tuvalu celebrates the Queen’s Official Birthday on the second Saturday of June. In Saint Kitts and Nevis, the date of the holiday is set each year. Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands do so on the second Monday of June. Cook Islands, a self-governing country in free association with New Zealand, also celebrates the holiday on the second Monday of June.
Despite Fiji abolishing the monarchy in 1987, following a second military coup d’état, the Queen’s Birthday continued to be celebrated each 12 June until 2012. That year, the military government of Commodore Frank Bainimarama announced the holiday would be abolished.
So, how many birthdays does the Queen have each year? I don’t know … I gave up counting when I reached 200. One thing is clear though … She’ll be loaded with presents, don’t you think?
The promised end-of-story opportunity:
At the start of this article, I promised you a link to another of my Royal stories that ends by offering you a most exciting opportunity. One that, if you take it up, may make you famous. The story is true. At the end, you’ll see your opportunity ... Here’s the link:
And to see ALL my Royal Stories, use this box-link:
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“Elizabeth II’s Birthdays … How Many?” * written by Fred: writer on Medium * * * * * © Fred Ogden 2022 * * * * *
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