Why the Queen got to have two birthdays as she would’ve turned 97 today
Every single year, The Queen routinely celebrated two separate birthdays and today (21 April) marks what would have officially been her 97th.
Queen Elizabeth II passed away last year (8 September) at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, at the age of 96, making her the longest-reigning British monarch.
However, The Queen didn't only celebrate her actual day of birth in April and it's not just because she wanted two sets of presents.
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The Queen was born Princess Elizabeth of York on 21 April, 1926.
This went on to mark the day that she would celebrate the occasion with her family.
However, due to pesky British weather, it's not always for certain that the month of April will bring with it sunny springtime weather.
Instead, more times than not, Brits see a whole lot more than just a few April showers.
So, because of the chillier temperatures that the month can inevitably bring and wanting to avoid her subjects celebrating the festivities outside in the cold, another date was scheduled to officially mark the occasion.
But this time, it was in in summer.
It was then declared that the nation would formerly celebrate the monarch's birthday on the second Saturday of a, hopefully sunnier, June, regardless of the date.
The Queen went on to enjoy a whole load of birthdays before her passing.
But, it appears as if the new reigning monarch, King Charles III, has yet to have the same double birthday treatment as his late mother.
In just matter of weeks (6 May) Charles will be officially crowned as king alongside his wife, Camilla, who will become Queen Consort.
He last celebrated his 74th birthday back in November last year and it has not yet been confirmed as to whether he will carry on the tradition of celebrating two birthdays a year.
Guess we'll have to wait and see what happens after the coronation.
The Royal Family has also released a birthday tribute message to Queen Elizabeth to Twitter today (21 April).
It read: "Today we remember the incredible life and legacy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, on what would have been her 97th birthday."
The Prince and Princess of Wales, based at Kensington Palace, also shared their own birthday message after uploading a photo of the late monarch earlier this afternoon (21 April).
The post was captioned: "Today would have been Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s 97th birthday.
"This photograph - showing her with some of her grandchildren and great grandchildren - was taken at Balmoral last summer."
The family photo in question saw The Queen surrounded by 10 of her young family members.
She was joined by future king, Prince George, alongside Princess Charlotte.
The son and daughter of the now Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and James, now known as the Earl of Wessex can also be spotted standing behind the sofa.
And joining the bunch include Prince Louis, Isla and Savannah Phillips as well as Mia, Lucas and Lena Tindall.
The Queen's other great-grandchildren who are not present from the family photo include Prince Archie, Princess Lilibet, August Brooksbank, the son of Princess Eugenie, and Princess Beatrice's daughter, Sienna.
Topics: The Queen, Royal Family, UK News
Rhiannon Ingle