Why Does the Queen of England Have Two Birthdays?
Written by Saanchi Biyani, a grade 5 student.
The current England queen, Queen Elizabeth the second’s birthday is on the 21st of April. Usually, it is moderately cold in England on the 21st of April,
Written by Saanchi Biyani, a grade 5 student.
Have you ever wondered why the Queen has two birthdays (and wanted two for yourself as well?!)
Wouldn’t it be double the fun? Imagine, one in the winters and one in the summers. I could have had fun indoors as well as outdoors (for instance, water park in summers – my favourite). Two birthdays, similar to the Queen of England. Yes, you read it correctly – the Queen of England has two birthdays.
Why? Read on…
The current England queen, Queen Elizabeth the second’s birthday is on the 21st of April. Usually, it is moderately cold in England on the 21st of April, and therefore a proper parade or outdoor celebration cannot take place in cold weather.
According to the Royal regulations, it is tradition to celebrate a sovereign’s birthday publicly on a day during the summer, preferably, when the weather is pleasant. Hence, to ensure that a proper parade takes place, the birthday is celebrated on the second Saturday of June.
What happens on this day?
The occasion is marked with a series of gun salutes. There’s 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. This is why good weather conditions are needed – for these outdoor celebrations, which is a customary requirement as per royal regulations.
How did it start?
The tradition for celebrating the birthday twice started more than 250 years ago by King George II in 1748. He was born in November, which is a cold month and no celebrations could take place then. Hence, this became a tradition.
Though I too am the queen of my house, sadly my parents don’t understand the importance of celebrating my birthday in the summers!
Comments