When is the Queen's official birthday, and why does she have one?
To be fair, we'd take two birthdays if we were offered them.
If you were thinking, 'Why are we talking about the Queen's birthday again, when it already happened in April?', you have come to the right place to be corrected. The Queen has two birthdays every year, and here's everything you need to know about the two dates.
When is the Queen's official birthday this year?
The Queen's official birthday is on 17th June this year. Her Majesty's official birthday is usually on the second Saturday in June, but the date is up to the decision of her team each year.
Why does the Queen have two birthdays?
The Queen is one of the only people in the world lucky enough to have two chances a year to celebrate her birthday! Her 'real' birthday – the anniversary of the day she was born – is on 21st April, on which she usually does something understated. Last year, she just went for a walk around with her husband, to greet members of the public.
Her Majesty's official birthday, however, is on a Saturday in June. The 'two birthdays' tradition was initiated by King George II in 1748, and it all comes back to the pesky British weather.
King George's birthday was in November, and he wasn't too happy about the fact that every year on his big day, the British heavens decided to open their floodgates. So instead of sitting there in the cold and the rain, he combined his birthday celebration with a springtime military event called 'Trooping the Colour', where regiments paraded their flags (or 'colours').
The tradition still remains today, in the form of The Queen's Birthday Parade. 1400 officers and men, 200 horses and 400 musicians display their colours on Horse Guards Parade behind Whitehall, and the Queen is invited to inspect soldiers from her personal troops.
Can I watch the parade?
Sadly, it's too late to get tickets to the parade now. But no fear: the whole event will be televised on the BBC at 10am on Saturday 17th June.
Also, the Queen and other Royal Family members travel to and from Buckingham Palace in royal carriages, so they can be seen from The Mall or the edge of St James's Park.
We'll definitely be watching!