Birthday Celebration on a Quite Different Day! That´s the Way it is Done at Royal Courts.
A celebration on a different day than the one of the birthday, was the idea of the British King George II. in 1748 and since then British monarchs celebrate birthdays in June, when in rainy London there is a little bit more of a chance of a more luxurious weather.
The birthday procession on 9. 6. will be attended by over 1,400 troops, 200 horses and 400 musicians. The procession will go from Buckingham Palace, the streets will be full of people brandishing flags and members of the royal family will go with the procession on horseback and in luxurious horse-drawn carriages.
Do you know the real name of the British Queen?
The whole world knows her as the Queen Elisabeth II. However, she was born as Elisabeth Alexandra Mary Moutbatten-Windsor; her childhood nickname was Lilibeth. She assumed reign after the death of her father George VI. in February 1952. 2. June 1953 she was crowned the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. She is the longest ruling monarch on the British throne, this is the 66. year.
Also the birthday of the Dutch Queen is celebrated on another day.
The fact that the luxurious birthday of Queen Elizabeth II is celebrated on a different day than it really is, is not just a whim of Great Britain. The same is happening at the luxurious Royal Court in the Netherlands. They even have a special name for this day: Koninginnedag (Queen´s day). It is publicly celebrated on 30. April and on the streets you can meet a lot of people dressed in orange colour, which is the symbol of the reigning royal house of Orange-Nassau. The tradition is to hold flea markets on this day, selling unnecessary goods. On this one day the profits from such sales are not subject to tax.
Why the 30. April?
The 30. April was the birthday of Queen Juliana, mother of the present Queen Beatrix of Holland. During her coronation speech in 1980 she stated that this day will be also the day of her birthday celebrations. This time too, a role here is played by the weather. The actual birthday of Queen Beatrix is 31. January, and this is not the ideal time for a luxurious outdoor celebration.
