The queen of England is revered by those near and far for her royal status and impressive lifespan. Born on April 21, 1926, she turned 96 on Thursday.
Despite the date, the real public festivities won’t be held until June thanks to a longstanding tradition the royal family observes.
While the rest of us commoners have to make do with private celebrations — maybe a dinner out or having friends over, or even an elaborate party — parades, public appearances and large displays are more suited to the birthday of a queen.
We are delighted to wish Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II a happy 96th birthday 👑 After seven decades of committed service to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, as well as giving her time to hundreds of causes we’re sending our devoted Queen plenty of birthday wishes 🎂 pic.twitter.com/hyxHOBg6Ij
— Platinum Jubilee Pageant (@Jubilee_Pageant) April 21, 2022
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But in England, there are certain times of the year when the weather just doesn’t cooperate with that vision, which means something’s gotta give. Edward VII, king from 1901 to 1910, decided to do something about it.
According to the BBC, Edward wanted grand public parties to celebrate his special day. Sadly, his birthday was in November and rarely resulted in weather nice enough to be outdoors.
Since a parade was non-negotiable for him, he decided he would hold his birthday celebration in style in the summer. That would guarantee fanfare and a better shot at nice weather.
While Elizabeth prefers to spend her actual birthday surrounded by family (what mother or grandmother doesn’t?), the second Saturday in June has been set as the day on which her birthday is publicly celebrated — though this year it will be on June 2, so that it will coincide with her Platinum Jubilee celebration, according to the BBC.
And if anyone knows how to celebrate, it’s the royals.
There is a 21-gun salute in Windsor Great Park, a 41-gun salute in Hyde Park and a 62-gun salute at the Tower of London.
A parade will be held as well, featuring over 1,400 soldiers, 400 musicians and 200 horses, to mark the queen’s impressive milestone.
Royal Air Force planes also traditionally perform a show for the special day, flying over the heads of attendees after the parade.
But on Thursday, Elizabeth headed to Wood Farm at her Norfolk estate, traveling in style by helicopter, where she will celebrate privately with family and close friends.
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A special photo of the queen with two of her beloved ponies as well as a photo of Her Majesty at age 2 was shared with the public to mark the important, if somewhat quieter, first of two birthdays.
Ahead of The Queen’s 96th Birthday tomorrow, @windsorhorse have released a new photograph of Her Majesty.
Taken last month in the grounds of Windsor Castle, The Queen is pictured with two of her fell ponies, Bybeck Katie and Bybeck Nightingale.
Happy Birthday Your Majesty! pic.twitter.com/8m46e3SvpX
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) April 20, 2022
Happy Birthday Your Majesty!
Today as The Queen turns 96, we’re sharing this photograph of the young Princess Elizabeth aged 2.
Then, in 1928, it was never expected she would be Queen, and this year Her Majesty is celebrating her #PlatinumJubilee – a first in British history. pic.twitter.com/DnwsMU81I3
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) April 21, 2022
Amanda holds an MA in Rhetoric and TESOL from Cal Poly Pomona. After teaching composition and logic for several years, she’s strayed into writing full-time and especially enjoys animal-related topics.
As of January 2019, Amanda has written over 1,000 stories for The Western Journal but doesn’t really know how. Graduating from California State Polytechnic University with a MA in Rhetoric/Composition and TESOL, she wrote her thesis about metacognitive development and the skill transfer between reading and writing in freshman students.
She has a slew of interests that keep her busy, including trying out new recipes, enjoying nature, discussing ridiculous topics, reading, drawing, people watching, developing curriculum, and writing bios. Sometimes she has red hair, sometimes she has brown hair, sometimes she’s had teal hair.
With a book on productive communication strategies in the works, Amanda is also writing and illustrating some children’s books with her husband, Edward.
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