Fact Check: Does Queen Elizabeth II have two birthdays?

Does Queen Elizabeth have two birthdays? This may have been a question on fans’ minds since her Platinum Jubilee on the throne was announced.

Without a doubt, the Queen has two birthdays, the first one being April 21, and the second one on the second Saturday in June. The second birthday signifies her official birthday and is celebrated with a parade known as Trooping the Color.

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Celebrating Queen Elizabeth’s second birthday in the year

Back in April, the Queen celebrated her 96th birthday with a private family ceremony, as the royal family geared up for a bigger celebration in June. Despite it being a private affair with her family, the monarch was duly honored.

As always, there were midday gun salutes in central London. This included a 41 gun salute at Hyde Park, a 21 gun salute at Windsor Great Park, and a 62 gun salute at the Tower of London.

However, her second birthday happened to be right around the time of her 70th Year of Reign and Platinum Jubilee. In essence, the third longest-reigning monarch decided she would celebrate Trooping the Color alongside her jubilee.

This meant her official birthday celebration came earlier than the second Saturday in June. This also made it part of a four-day weekend of Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Trooping the Color was held on June 2, following the age-long tradition of Queen Elizabeth and the royal family riding in horse-drawn carriages. The ride had them navigating through Buckingham Palace and other major areas.

The ceremonial trip included stops at The Mall and at the Horse Guard parade. The procession folllowed through with the Queen being honored with the Royal salute while she inspected the troop. The parade usually consists of 1,400 soldiers, 400 horses, and 400 musicians.

The next activity was the ride back to Buckingham Palace, where the royal head of the family joined her family members on the balcony. This year, it was announced that only working members of the Firm would appear on the balcony to witness the 70 aircrafts fly past them.

For the occasion, Queen Elizabeth stepped out in a blue Angela Kelly coat adorned with the Guard’s badge. Beneath the attire was a blue Charmaine dress and a matching hat, as a nod to her signature look.

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Why does Queen Elizabeth have two birthdays?

The phenomenon of having two birthdays in the British royal household is a tradition as old as time. The protocol goes as far back as 1748 during the reign of King George II.

The King was born in November, a rather chilly period of the year that could dampen a flamboyant birthday celebration. He did not want to risk his well-wishers and loved ones coming down with a cold, so the King devised another way to celebrate.

He opted for the day of Trooping the Color, which occurs in spring. The weather around this time is considered fair, and so it was established, with the monarchs after King George II observing the tradition as well.

It is safe to say that the reason for Queen Elizabeth to have two birthdays boils down to a thing of necessity rather than aesthetics. It is also a result of climate conditions.