A bread ticket from the 1859 Toronto celebrations entitling the bearer to a loaf of bread in celebration of the birthday of Queen Victoria
Also called
King's Birthday, Victoria Day (in Canada)
Observedby
Australia, Belize, Canada, Cook Islands, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, United Kingdom
Type
Varies by region
Significance
Official celebration of the sovereign's birthday
Date
Varies by region
Frequency
Annual
The King's Official Birthday is the selected day in most Commonwealth realms on which the birthday of the monarch is officially celebrated in those countries. It does not necessarily correspond to the date of the monarch's actual birth.
The sovereign's birthday was first officially marked in the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1748, for King George II. Since then, the date of the king or queen's birthday has been determined throughout the British Empire and, later, the Commonwealth of Nations, either by royal proclamations issued by the sovereign or viceroy, or by statute laws passed by the local parliament.
The date of the celebration today varies as adopted by each country and is generally set around the end of May or start of June, to coincide with a higher probability of fine weather in the Northern Hemisphere for outdoor ceremonies. In most cases, it is an official public holiday, sometimes aligning with the celebration of other events. Most Commonwealth realms release a Birthday Honours list at this time.
Australia
Most Australian states and territories observe the King's Birthday on the second Monday in June, except in Western Australia and Queensland. As Western Australia celebrates Western Australia Day (formerly known as Foundation Day) on the first Monday in June, the governor of Western Australia each year proclaims the day on which the state will observe the King's Birthday, based on school terms and the Perth Royal Show.[1] There is no firm rule to determine this date, though it is usually the last Monday of September or the first Monday of October. Some regional areas of Western Australia celebrate the King's Birthday public holiday on alternative days for locally significant dates or events.[2] In 2012, Queensland celebrated the holiday in October, as the June holiday was reserved to mark Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee as Queen of Australia, after which the holiday then for three years reverted to its traditional date in line with the other eastern Australian states.[3] However, starting in 2016, Queensland celebrates the holiday on the first Monday of October.[4][5]
Norfolk Island celebrates Bounty Day on 8 June, so King's Birthday is held on the Monday after the second Saturday in June.[6]Christmas Island has other holidays and does not hold a King's Birthday holiday at all.[7]
The day has been celebrated since 1788, when GovernorArthur Phillip declared a holiday to mark the birthday of the king of Great Britain. Until 1936, it was held on the actual birthday of the monarch, but, after King George V died, it was decided to keep the date on the second Monday in June.[8] This has more evenly spaced out public holidays throughout the year. While George V's successor, Edward VIII, also celebrated his birthday in June, the three sovereigns since have not: George VI's birthday was in December, very close to public holidays for Christmas, Boxing Day, and New Years; Elizabeth II's birthday fell shortly after holidays for Good Friday and Easter and very close to ANZAC Day, while Charles III's birthday is in November, shortly after Remembrance Day.
The King's Birthday weekend and Empire Day (24 May) were the traditional times for public fireworks displays in Australia. The sale of fireworks to the public was banned in various states through the 1980s and by the Australian Capital Territory on 24 August 2009. Only Tasmania and the Northern Territory allow the sale of fireworks to the public.[9] The King's Birthday Honours List, in which new members of the Order of Australia and other Australian honours are named, is released around the date of the King's Birthday weekend each June.[10]
Belize celebrates the birthday of the King annually in May. The day is known as Sovereign's Day, and is marked by parades in Belize City.[11] Horse races, conducted by the National Sports Council, are held in Belize City's National Stadium and Orange Walk Town's People's Stadium. A cycling race, also arranged by the National Sports Council, is held between the cities of Belmopan and Cayo. There is a flag-raising ceremony among other events held at schools and universities to commemorate Sovereign's Day.[12][13][14]
The monarch's birthday has been observed in Canada since the reign of King George III, when it, 4 June, was considered "the most important holiday of the year in early Upper Canada." The annual muster of the militia was held on the King's birthday, in the most central or most convenient place in each district, and every able-bodied man between the ages of 18 and 60, aside from Quakers, Mennonites, and other pacifist sects, was to take part. The drill ended with three cheers for the King before the participants were free to mingle about; they were known to engage in horseshoe pitching contests, wrestling matches, and settling old scores by fights before, in the summer night, the settlers and their families visited the houses of their neighbours or patronised the taverns; for the latter, it was their most profitable day all year. For the officers, a dinner was held, during which toasts were made to the King, the Duke of York (the Commander-in-Chief), the Army and Navy, and the ladies.[15]
It was in 1845 that the Parliament of the Province of Canada passed a statute to authorise the recognition of Queen Victoria's birthday, 24 May, as a public holiday.[16][17] After Victoria died in 1901, 24 May became Victoria Day[17] and the official date in Canada of the reigning monarch's birthday changed through various royal proclamations: for Edward VII, it continued by yearly proclamation to be observed on 24 May, but, was 3 June for George V and 23 June for Edward VIII (their actual birthdays).
Edward VIII abdicated on 11 December 1936, three days before the birthday of his brother and successor, George VI. The new King expressed to his ministers his wish that his birthday not be publicly celebrated, in light of the recent circumstances. However, the Prime Minister at the time, William Lyon Mackenzie King, the rest of Cabinet, and the Lord Tweedsmuir, the Governor General, felt otherwise, seeing such a celebration as a way to begin George's reign on a positive note.[18] George VI's official birthday in Canada was thereafter marked on various days between 20 May and 14 June.
A birthday cake at a gala for Queen Elizabeth II's 90th birthday in May 2016
The first official birthday of Elizabeth II, daughter of George VI, was the last to be celebrated in June; the haphazard format was abandoned in 1952, when the Governor General-in-Council moved Empire Day and an amendment to the law moved Victoria Day both to the Monday before 25 May.[17][19] The Canadian monarch's official birthday in Canada was, by regular viceregal proclamations, made to fall on this same date every year between 1953 and 1957, when a royal proclamation issued on 5 February established the Queen's official birthday as the last Monday before 25 May,[20] making the link between Victoria Day and the sovereign's official birthday permanent,[17][21] though not expressed explicitly.
Though the holiday was called Sovereign's Birthday,[17] the 1957 proclamation itself designated the day as "the Queen's birthday". As such, in May 2023, following the accession of Charles III as King of Canada, a new proclamation declared "the celebration in Canada of the birthday of the sovereign to be Victoria Day",[22] thus applying the official birthday to all future monarchs, regardless of gender, and, by replacing the Monday before 25 May with Victoria Day, making the connection with Victoria Day explicit.
Nonetheless, the two holidays are entirely distinct in law (Victoria Day fixed by statute and the Sovereign's Birthday determined by proclamation depending on the Interpretation Act, which requires the Sovereign's Birthday to be observed either on the day itself or on a day proclaimed for its observance) except for being appointed to be observed on the same day; it is a general holiday in Nunavut[23] and New Brunswick (there prescribed as a day of rest on which retail businesses must be closed[24]). Though the media mention only Victoria Day and the public are therefore almost totally unaware of the existence of the official birthday, the sovereign's official birthday is marked by the firing of an artillery salute in the national and provincial capitals and the flying of the Royal Union Flag on buildings belonging to the federal Crown, if there is a second flag pole available.[25][26]
The Canadian monarch has been in Canada for his or her official birthday twice: The first time was 20 May 1939, when King George VI was on a coast-to-coast tour of Canada and his official birthday was celebrated with a Trooping the Colour ceremony on Parliament Hill.[27][28] The second time was when Queen Elizabeth II was in Canada from 17 to 25 May 2005, to mark the centennial of the entries of Saskatchewan and Alberta into Confederation; no government-initiated events, aside from those dictated by normal protocol, were organised to acknowledge the official birthday. Charles III, who was Prince of Wales and heir apparent to the throne at the time, and his wife, Camilla, in 2012 attended events in Saint John, New Brunswick, and Toronto, Ontario, marking the Queen's official birthday.[29] In 2014, the couple attended a ceremony in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.[30]
New Zealand
Until 1936, New Zealand celebrated the actual birthday of the sovereign.[31] After Edward VIII abdicated on 11 December 1936, and George VI was proclaimed king on his birthday, 14 December, two King's Birthday holidays were celebrated that year.[32] The second holiday that year caused some industrial confusion and loss.[32][33][34] This led the government to introduce the Sovereign's Birthday Observance Act 1937. It set the official birthday to be the first Monday in June (which it has been to this day), and this was first observed in 1937. The legislation was changed after Elizabeth II became Queen through the Sovereign's Birthday Observance Act 1952. Although that act makes reference to "Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second",[35] it was still in place in 2023, the first time that New Zealand observed the King's Birthday for Charles III.[36] The Holidays Act 2003 refers to the holiday as "the birthday of the reigning Sovereign".[37]
King's Birthday celebrations are mainly official, including the King's Birthday Honours list and military ceremonies.[38] There were proposals, with some political support, mainly affiliated with Labour,[39][40][41] to replace the holiday with Matariki (Māori New Year) as an official holiday. In 2022, the Te Kāhui o Matariki Public Holiday Act declared Matariki as an official holiday separate from the Queen's Birthday,[42] making said proposals obsolete. The idea of renaming the Queen's Birthday weekend to Hillary weekend, after mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary, was raised in 2009.[43]
Papua New Guinea
The King's Official Birthday is a public holiday in Papua New Guinea. In Papua New Guinea, it is usually celebrated on the second Monday of June every year. Official celebrations occur at hotels in Port Moresby, and much of the day is filled with sports matches, fireworks displays, and other celebrations and events. Honours and medals are given for public service to Papua New Guineans, who are mentioned in the King's Birthday Honours List.[44]
Solomon Islands
The Queen's Birthday Parade in the Solomon Islands, 2019
The King's Official Birthday is a public holiday in Solomon Islands. In Solomon Islands, it is usually celebrated on the second Saturday of June every year.[45] It is regarded as one of the most important events of the year in Solomon Islands. The day starts with the police marching band performing in the capital city of Honiara. Rallies are held all over the islands, which is followed by sporting events and custom dancing, and the celebrations and parties go long into the night.[46][47][48]
The governor-general of Solomon Islands delivers a speech on the King's Birthday,[49][50] and honours and medals are given to those who have done valiant things and great service for Solomon Islands and its people.[51]
Tuvalu
The King's Official Birthday is a public holiday in Tuvalu. In Tuvalu, it is usually celebrated on the second Saturday of June every year.[52][53] Tuvaluans celebrate it with church services and prayers, singing "God Save the King" and "Tuvalu mo te Atua", flag hoisting, public speeches, a Royal Salute, and a parade. As the King's Birthday is a public holiday, all government offices, educational institutions, and most businesses are closed for the day.[54][55][56]
As of 2021[update], Tuvaluans also celebrated the birthday of Charles, Prince of Wales, who at the time was heir to the Tuvaluan Throne. Heir to the Throne Day was a public holiday in November.[57]
The monarch's birthday has been celebrated in the United Kingdom since 1748, during the reign of King George II.[citation needed] Even when their real birthday was in May or June, the celebration was often on a different date. Edward VII, who reigned from 1901 to 1910 and whose birthday was on 9 November, moved his official birthday to summer, in the hope of good weather. King George VI, born on 14 December, celebrated his official birthday from 7 to 12 June. Queen Elizabeth II's official birthday was (usually) the second Saturday in June.[58][59] King Charles III's first official birthday was on 17 June 2023, the third Saturday in June;[60] and his second on 15 June 2024, also the third Saturday in June.[61]
The day is marked in London by the ceremony of Trooping the Colour, which is also known as the King's Birthday Parade.[62] The list of Birthday Honours is also announced at the time of the Official Birthday celebrations.[63] In British diplomatic missions, the day is treated as the national day of the United Kingdom. Although it is not celebrated as a specific public holiday in the UK, some civil servants are given a "privilege day" at this time of year, which is sometimes merged with the Spring bank holiday (last Monday in May) to create a four-day weekend. The King's birthday is the last remaining privilege day, the other 1.5 days having been abolished in 2014 and replaced by a 1.5 day increase in civil servants' annual leave.[64]
British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies
The King's official birthday is a public holiday in most British Overseas Territories (those parts of Britain's sovereign territory that lie outside the archipelago of the British Isles), including Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha and the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Crown Dependencies (which are not parts of Britain's sovereign territory, but are dependencies of the British Crown), including Guernsey and Jersey in the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man.[66]Bermuda formerly marked the occasion with a public holiday but in 2008 the Progressive Labour Party government of the territory decided the day would be, beginning the following year, replaced by National Heroes' Day,[67] despite protests from some residents of the island, who signed a petition calling for retention of The Queen's Official Birthday.[68] The Queen's Official Birthday continues, nonetheless, to be marked by a public parade on Front Street in the City of Hamilton[69][70] (with the first King's Birthday Parade since the death of King George VI held on 15 June, 2024),[71][72] and by a Queen's Birthday Party at Government House.[73] The Falkland Islands celebrate the actual day of King Charles III's birth, 14 November, as a public holiday.[74] (November is a spring month in the southern hemisphere where the islands are located).
Colour party of the Royal Bermuda Regiment at Queen's Birthday Parade in the City of Hamilton, Bermuda, on 10 June 2017[75]
A reception for the public hosted by Jersey's Lieutenant Governor at Government House in 2005 to mark the Queen's Official Birthday and to name recipients of Birthday Honours
Other Commonwealth countries
In Saint Kitts and Nevis, the date of the King's Official Birthday is set each year.[76] The Cook Islands, a self-governing country in free association with New Zealand, also celebrates the holiday on the second Monday of June.
Despite Fiji abolishing the monarchy in 1987, following a second military coup d'état, the Queen's Birthday continued to be celebrated each 12 June until 2012. That year, the military government of CommodoreFrank Bainimarama announced the holiday would be abolished, despite Bainimarama being a monarchist himself.[77]
July is the seventh month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. It was named by the Roman Senate in honour of Roman general Julius Caesar in 44 B.C., being the month of his birth. Before then it was called Quintilis, being the fifth month of the calendar that started with March.
Labour Day is an annual day of celebration of the achievements of workers. It has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest.
In Māori culture, Matariki is the Pleiades star cluster and a celebration of its first rising in late June or early July. The rising marks the beginning of the new year in the Māori lunar calendar.
Public holidays in Australia refer to the holidays recognised in law in Australia. Although they are declared on a state and territory basis, they comprise a mixture of nationally celebrated days and holidays exclusive to the individual jurisdictions.
Victoria Day is a federal Canadian public holiday observed on the last Monday preceding May 25 to honour Queen Victoria, who is known as the "Mother of Confederation". The holiday has existed in Canada since at least 1845, originally on Victoria's natural birthday, May 24. It falls on the Monday between the 18th and the 24th (inclusive) and, so, is always the penultimate Monday of May. Victoria Day is a federal statutory holiday, as well as a holiday in six of Canada's ten provinces and all three of its territories. The holiday has always been a distinctly Canadian observance and continues to be celebrated across the country. It is informally considered the start of the summer season in Canada.
Trooping the Colour is a ceremonial event performed every year on Horse Guards Parade in London, United Kingdom, by regiments of Household Division, to celebrate the official birthday of the British sovereign. It is also known as the Sovereign's Birthday Parade. Similar events are held in other countries of the Commonwealth. In the UK, it is, with the State Opening of Parliament, the biggest event of the ceremonial calendar, and watched by millions on TV and on the streets of London.
Commonwealth Day is the annual celebration of the Commonwealth of Nations, held on the second Monday in March. While the date holds some official status in select member states of the Commonwealth, observances of the date are not uniform across the Commonwealth, and the date is not celebrated as a public holiday in most Commonwealth countries.
Public holidays in New Zealand consist of a variety of cultural, national, and religious holidays that are legislated in New Zealand. Workers can get a maximum of 12 public holidays and a minimum of 20 annual leave days a year.
Public holidays in Canada, known as statutory holidays, stat holidays, or simply stats, consist of a variety of cultural, nationalistic, and religious holidays that are legislated in Canada at the federal or provincial and territorial levels. While many of these holidays are honoured and acknowledged nationwide, provincial and territorial legislation varies in regard to which are officially recognized.
Emancipation Day is observed in many former European colonies in the Caribbean and areas of the United States on various dates to commemorate the emancipation of slaves of African descent.
The monarchy of Solomon Islands is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of Solomon Islands. The monarch and head of state since 8 September 2022 is King Charles III. As sovereign, he is the personal embodiment of the Crown of Solomon Islands. Although the person of the sovereign is equally shared with 14 other independent countries within the Commonwealth of Nations, each country's monarchy is separate and legally distinct. As a result, the current monarch is officially titled King of Solomon Islands and, in this capacity, he and other members of the royal family undertake public and private functions domestically and abroad as representatives of Solomon Islands. However, the King is the only member of the royal family with any constitutional role.
The monarchy of Australia is a key component of Australia's form of government, by which a hereditary monarch serves as the country's sovereign and head of state. It is a constitutional monarchy, modelled on the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy, while incorporating features unique to the constitution of Australia.
Canadian royal symbols are the visual and auditory identifiers of the Canadian monarchy, including the viceroys, in the country's federal and provincial jurisdictions. These may specifically distinguish organizations that derive their authority from the Crown, establishments with royal associations, or merely be ways of expressing loyal or patriotic sentiment.
Elizabeth II was proclaimed queen throughout the Commonwealth after her father, King George VI, died in the early hours of 6 February 1952, while Elizabeth was in Kenya. Proclamations were made in different Commonwealth realms on 6, 7, 8, and 11 February. The line of succession was identical in all the Commonwealth realms, but the royal title as proclaimed was not the same in all of them. Accession was followed sixteen months later by the Coronation of Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey in London on 2 June 1953.
Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory of Norfolk Island. It began as a day of giving thanks for the blessings of the harvest and of the preceding year. Various similarly named harvest festival holidays occur throughout the world during autumn. Although Thanksgiving has historical roots in religious and cultural traditions, it has long been celebrated as a secular holiday as well.
The monarchy of Belize is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of Belize. The current Belizean monarch and head of state since 8 September 2022, is King Charles III. As sovereign, he is the personal embodiment of the Belizean Crown. Although the person of the sovereign is shared with 14 other independent countries within the Commonwealth of Nations, each country's monarchy is separate and legally distinct. As a result, the current monarch is officially titled Kingof Belize and, in this capacity, he and other members of the royal family undertake public and private functions as representatives of the Belizean state. However, the King is the only member of the royal family with any constitutional role.
The monarchy of Tuvalu is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of Tuvalu. The current Tuvaluan monarch and head of state since 8 September 2022 is King Charles III. As sovereign, he is the personal embodiment of the Tuvaluan Crown. Although the person of the sovereign is equally shared with 14 other independent countries within the Commonwealth of Nations, each country's monarchy is separate and legally distinct. As a result, the current monarch is officially titled King of Tuvalu and, in this capacity, he and other members of the royal family undertake public and private functions domestically and abroad as representatives of the Tuvaluan state. However, the King is the only member of the royal family with any constitutional role.
Crown Honours Lists are lists of honours conferred upon citizens of the Commonwealth realms. The awards are presented by or in the name of the reigning monarch, currently King Charles III, or his vice-regal representative.
The Silver Jubilee of George V on 6 May 1935 marked 25 years of George V as the King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India. The Jubilee was marked with large-scale and popular events throughout London and the rest of the United Kingdom in May 1935. It was the first ever Silver Jubilee celebration of a British monarch in history. The King died less than a year later.
↑ "Victoria Day". Holidays Act. Queen's Printer for Canada. 12 December 1988.
↑ Elizabeth II (5 February 1957), Parliament of Canada (ed.), "A Proclamation"(PDF), Canada Gazette, Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada, archived(PDF) from the original on 7 February 2022, retrieved 7 May 2015
↑ Government of Canada (8 May 2018). "Foreign flags in Canada". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
↑ "The King's Birthday". Northern Advocate. 23 June 1936. p.4. Retrieved 29 July 2023– via Papers Past (paperspast.natlib.govt.nz). ... [T]he King's Birthday, which is being celebrated today, falls upon June 23. ... For 25 years the people of the British Empire set apart June 3 as a day on which to honour the birthday of King George V.
↑ "State Mine Idle". Ashburton Guardian. Vol.57, no.61. Press Association. 21 December 1936. p.5. Retrieved 29 July 2023– via Papers Past (paperspast.natlib.govt.nz).
↑ "Manufacturers Want to Shift King's Birthday". Manawatu Times. Vol.61, no.302. Press Association. 22 December 1936. p.6. Retrieved 29 July 2023– via Papers Past (paperspast.natlib.govt.nz).
↑ The Times 9 November 1908 published the King's Birthday Honours list, apparently the first occasion of such awards. The lists were subsequently published on the monarch's official birthday in June (occasionally May)
↑ "Trooping The Colour – The King's Day Birthday Parade". The King's Birthday Parade. 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2024. His Majesty's actual birthday is 14th November. The Sovereign's official birthday is marked by the ceremony of Trooping the Colour, which this year falls on Saturday 15th June 2024.
↑ Johnston-Barnes, Owain (17 June 2024). "King's birthday celebrated with pomp and circumstance". The Royal Gazette. City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda. Retrieved 22 June 2024. Shots rang out over Hamilton Harbour this morning as the island celebrated the birthday of King Charles III. This year's King's Birthday Parade was the first held in Bermuda since the monarch was crowned as last year's event was cancelled because of inclement weather.
↑ Johnston-Barnes, Owain (9 June 2017). "Queen's Birthday Parade this Saturday". The Royal Gazette. City of Hamilton, Pembroke Parish, Bermuda. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
↑ "Culture". St Kitts & Nevis. Archived from the original on 12 September 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
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