Elizabeth II Birthday (redirected from Queen Elizabeth II Birthday)

Elizabeth II (Queen) Birthday

June

Queen Elizabeth II was born on April 21, 1926, but her birthday is officially observed on a Saturday in June by proclamation each year (it may be changed if the weather is really foul). A good explanation for the discrepancy in dates is that April weather is notoriously bad in London.
The celebration includes Trooping the Colour. The "colour" referred to here is the regimental flag. When British soldiers went to battle, it was important that they be able to recognize their flag so they could rally around it. "Trooping the Colour" was a marching display put on for new recruits so they would know what their regiment's flag looked like.
In 1805 the ceremony became an annual event to celebrate the king or queen's official birthday. Today, a different regiment is chosen each year to parade its flag before Queen Elizabeth II, who sits on horseback and inspects the troops in their brightly colored uniforms as they pass before her in London's Horseguards Parade, a large open space in Whitehall. Then she rides in a carriage back to Buckingham Palace. Although the event attracts thousands of tourists, many Londoners turn out for the traditional ceremony as well.
Queen's Birthday is a national holiday in Australia, where it is celebrated on the second Monday in June. It was first observed there in 1788, not long after the country was settled. June 4, the birthday of King George III, was set aside at that time as a holiday for convicts and settlers. After George V died in 1936, the date of his birth, June 3, was set aside to honor the reigning king or queen. Bermuda holds an annual military parade on Hamilton's Front Street in honor of the Queen.

CONTACTS:
The British Monarchy Official Web Site
Buckingham Palace
London, SW1A 1AA United Kingdom
44-20-7930-4832
www.royal.gov.uk

SOURCES:
AnnivHol-2000, pp. 65, 109
BkHolWrld-1986, Jun 13
DictDays-1988, p. 112
NatlHolWrld-1968, p. 78