Everyone else: celebrates their birthday once a year on the literal day they were born. King Charles: demands multiple birthdays per year just ‘cause, which honestly might be the most relatable thing about him at this point.
To be clear, not every member of Britain’s royal family forces people to fête them twice a year: It’s just a monarch thing. Meaning, Queen Elizabeth II had two birthdays, King Charles has two birthdays, Prince William will have two birthdays, and Prince George will also have two birthdays. And like his late mother before him, King Charles celebrates his birthdays on 1) the actual day he was born, November 14—in case you want to celebrate for some reason, and 2) a random Saturday in June.
And the June celebration becomes everrrrrryone’s business. Let’s get into it.
Why Does the Monarch Have Two Birthdays?
Basically, to throw a giant parade in their own honor. Which I’ve been telling my friends and family to do every year, to no avail.
As for the date, summer is typically a nice time to be in England, and the parade—aka Trooping the Colour—has been held in June for a while now, regardless of when the King/Queen’s actual birthday is. (For what it’s worth, Queen Elizabeth’s birthday was in April.)
How Long Has This Been Going On?
A looooong time. According to the Household Division (the seven British Army regiments serving King Charles), Trooping the Colour was first ideated by King Charles II, pictured below, in the 1600s.
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King Charles II
By 1748, it had officially become a parade in honor of the sovereign’s birthday—kicking off with King George II. So, the monarch’s second birthday celebration has been a thing for over 250 years at this point.
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King Edward VII
Per the BBC, it was King Charles’s great-great-grandfather, Edward VII (also a November baby, pictured above) who decided to celebrate his birthday/Trooping the Colour in the summer instead of the day of his birth, for the aforementioned weather-related reasons. No one wants to troop the colour in the cold rain, you know? And speaking of trooping said colours…
What Does Trooping the Colour Even Mean?
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Kate Middleton, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis
Essentially, over 1,400 soldiers and 400 musicians get together for a giant public parade and the colour-trooping commences. The “troop” part is a reference to British troops, while “the colour” refers to their specific regimental flags. So, “trooping the colour” means the troops are carrying around their flags in front of the royals—who dress up for the occasion, arrive in open-air carriages, and make one of their patented balcony appearances. Moreover, it’s an opportunity for some next-level pomp and circumstance, and one of the biggest and most overt displays the British monarchy puts on (second only to any given Royal Wedding).
In conclusion I no longer feel bad for making my friends and family celebrate my “birthday month.”