Queen Elizabeth’s Two Birthdays — The Reason She Celebrates Twice And Her 2021 Plans As She Turns 95

Apr 20, 2021 by apost team

It’s customary for the royal family to celebrate and commemorate events throughout the year and when it comes to their birthdays, sometimes it’s twice a year. Queen Elizabeth II has two birthdays recognized — the day she was born on April 21, 1926, and her “official” birthday in June. This day is commemorated by the annual “Trooping the Colour” event.

But why does she celebrate two birthdays instead of one like everyone else? The tradition didn't actually begin with Queen Elizabeth II, but rather King George II, all the way back in 1748. The reason is actually due to the weather — King George II's birthday was in November, which is a terrible month for weather in Britain. In order to best celebrate outdoors, it was decided that a big outdoor celebration would take place in June to make use of the better summer weather. Ever since, the Trooping the Colour event has taken place in June, regardless of when the ruling monarch's actual birthday is.

Sadly, this year, just shy of her 95th birthday on April 21, the Queen lost her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip, who passed away on April 9. It will no doubt be a birthday marked by mourning and made even more somber by the current global situation. Usually honored with a gun salute, this year's celebration will be much more lowkey, as the royal family is still mourning the Duke of Edinburgh. June's Trooping the Colour event has also been canceled, marking only the third time in her reign that the parade hasn't taken place.

According to the BBC, the royal tradition of celebrating two birthdays was created during King George II's reign in 1748. Since his birthday was in November, he decided to have a large public celebration in June instead, when he could make use of the great summer weather. It made perfect sense to do so and the royal family has celebrated each ruling monarch's birthday in this way ever since.

Trooping the Colour, the event that usually takes place on the second Saturday of June, is a large parade that features over 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians. The Royal Air Force even puts on an aerial display for all to enjoy. A big parade takes place that begins at Buckingham Palace — Her Majesty's official residence — and moves to Horse Guards Parade at Whitehall, along The Mall, and finally Downing Street, before turning back again. The royal family then gathers on a balcony at Buckingham Palace in order to greet the crowd that has gathered below. 

On her actual birthday on April 21, the Queen mostly spends it privately with family, while gun salutes across London mark the occasion publicly. Normally, a 41-gun salute takes place in Hyde Park, a 21-gun salute in Windsor Great Park, and the Tower of London does a 62-gun salute. However, with the current global situation, gun salutes will not be taking place this year. Furthermore, as the royal family is mourning Prince Philip, the celebrations will be kept small. This year's Trooping the Colour event has also been canceled, which is only the third time that has happened in Queen Elizabeth's reign.

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It's also believed that Her Majesty will not mark the occasion with a new royal portrait for the first time in 70 years, and the royal family's social media channels will likely be the only way that her 95th birthday is commemorated. 

While it was earlier believed that Prince Harry may have extended his stay in the UK to be there for his grandmother's birthday, the Daily Mail has reported that Harry has returned to the US ahead of Elizabeth's birthday. His wife, Meghan Markle, is heavily pregnant with their second child and could not join her husband to attend his grandfather's funeral. The news outlet also reported that neither Prince Charles nor Prince William will be meeting the queen for her birthday. 

However, the queen will not be alone as the Mirror reported that Kate Middleton and other senior members of the royal family are making a plan for a small, toned-down celebration. A source told the news outlet that the queen, "will have others who care about her deeply and want to be there to support her in her most pressing hour." This year's celebration will be very subdued with a "quiet lunch" expected to take place, The Telegraph reports.

Since the Queen's husband of 73 years passed away less than two weeks before her special day, it will mark the first time in over seven decades that she will be celebrating without him. The couple was well-loved and even their seven-decade-long marriage held the title of the longest marriage in the British monarchy. Our hearts go out to the Queen celebrating her 95th birthday without her beloved husband Prince Philip.

Did you know why the Queen celebrates two birthdays? If you learned something new about this, pass it on so others can find out too!