Why Does King Charles Have Two Birthdays?
Like his mother Queen Elizabeth and many British monarchs before him, King Charles celebrates two birthdays annually.
On November 14 each year, King Charles marks his birthday privately, but every year on one weekend in June, he will mark his "official" birthday with a procession known as Trooping the Colour.
Tomorrow, the second Trooping the Colour, or the King's Birthday Parade, of his reign will take place. Last year, Charles rode on horseback to inspect his troops, marking "the first time that the reigning Monarch has ridden at Trooping the Colour since 1986, when Queen Elizabeth II last rode" per Buckingham Palace. However, this year, due to the fact he is currently undergoing cancer treatment, he will ride in a carriage. Following the carriage and horse procession, King Charles will be joined by his wife, Queen Camilla, and other members of the royal family on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
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The King has been in close contact with his "beloved" daughter-in-law.
But why does King Charles have two different birthdays? The answer lies in the weather: Summer in England (namely June) is the best time for a parade.
The two-birthday tradition for a British monarch dates back to 1748, when King George II combined the annual summer military march with his birthday celebration, though he was born in November. As Royal Museums Greenwich notes, "With a November birthday being too cold for a celebratory parade, he tied his celebrations in with the annual Trooping the Colour military parade."
When Prince William eventually inherits the throne, his birthday (June 21) will nicely coincide with the annual Trooping the Colour—making it possible that he will just celebrate one birthday.
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