Born on April 21, 1926, Queen Elizabeth II is Britain’s longest reigning monarch—and she turns 92 today. Although she’ll celebrate her birthday on Saturday with the royal family, she’ll get double the fun in June with another birthday celebration on June 9. Why? Apparently, it’s royal tradition for the sovereign to have both a private birthday and a public birthday. The private celebration takes place on the monarch’s actual birthday and the public event often takes place in the summer—when the weather is nicer.
Yep, that’s an actual thing: The royals celebrate a second birthday when the sun is more likely to be shining—and early summer offers much better chances of that, thanks to the rainy weather in the U.K. The June celebration is when the royal family takes part in the Trooping the Color parade.
According to People, the tradition likely started in 1748, during the reign of King George II, who was born in October. The annual Trooping of the Color had become a celebration of the King and the armed forces, but it needed to be moved to a date with better weather. King Edward VII, who reigned at the beginning of the 20th century, was also born during the colder months on November 9. His birthday was also celebrated in May or June, thanks to the parade. It’s now tradition that the parade be held on the second Saturday in June.
From: Glamour
