Did you know that royal Queen Elizabeth II celebrates two birthdays?

Monarchy comes with great responsibility. But do you know that the Queen has two birthdays? Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her real birthday on April 21, as she was born on this day in the year 1926. However, her official birthday is celebrated on the second Saturday of June. It is a tradition that has been celebrated since 1748 and the core reason is actually related to the weather.

ALSO READ| Queen Elizabeth Virtually Attends Unveiling Of Portrait At Britain's Foreign Office

Why the Queen has two birthdays?

Initially, the official celebrations to mark a King or Queen’s birthday was held on the day of their actual birth date. However, everything changed in 1748. The double birthday celebration was introduced almost 250 years ago by King George II. As reported by Independent, he was born in the month of November but in the UK, this month is popular for bad weather. King George, however, wished to celebrate his birthday with a large public gathering and November wasn’t the month for it. Hence, he decided to combine his birthday with an annual military parade and the double birthday tradition of monarch began.

ALSO READ| Kolkata Consular Official Briefs Queen Elizabeth On COVID-19 Repatriation

How does the Queen celebrate her real birthday?

Every year, Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her real birthday by spending quality time with her family. According to BBC, to pay respect to the monarch, a 41-gun salute in Hyde Park, a 62-gun salute at the Tower of London and a 21-gun salute in Windsor Great Park is done to mark Queen’s real birthday. However, this year, owing to the ongoing pandemic, the Buckingham Palace released an official statement to cancel the tradition stating that the conditions are inappropriate.  

ALSO READ| Meghan Markle's Birthday: Queen Elizabeth & Royal Family Members Wish Meghan; See Posts

How does the Queen celebrate her official birthday?

The official birthday of the Queen is marked by Trooping the Colour parade which takes place in the month of June, every year. According to BBC, on this day, over 1400 soldiers, 400 musicians, and 200 horses take part in the event. The parade begins from the Queen’s residence, Buckingham Palace and the movie to Whitehall, near Downing Street and then back again. In 260 years, this is the first time when Trooping the Colour parade was cancelled due to COVID-19.

ALSO READ| Queen Elizabeth Never Tasted Pizza But Loves Dark Chocolates, Reveals Former Chef

(Disclaimer: The information provided on this website has been displayed from published sources and is provided only as a guide. All facts, details are for information purposes only. Republic Media Network does not guarantee the accuracy of all the information presented and accept no liability in respect of any error)