BBC Learning English
Weekender
Queen's Official Birthday
Callum: Hello, I'm Callum Robertson and this is Weekender.
A few weeks ago I celebrated my birthday. I don't feel any older, but now
when I write my age I have to add an extra number.
For some people birthdays are a time of celebration and rejoicing, for others it's
a time of sadness as they worry about getting older. Birthdays cause a lot of
different emotions, but for most of us it only comes around once a year.
However in Britain the Queen actually celebrates two birthdays. The first is her
actual birthday on 21st of April. She also celebrates an official birthday on
either the first or the second, and sometimes the third, Saturday in June. This
year's official birthday was celebrated on 17 June 2006.
On her official birthday there is a big parade in the centre of London called the
Trooping of the Colour. This was originally a military procedure which took
place before a battle..
The Colour is the name for the flags for an army. Trooping was when the flag
was shown to the soldiers in the army so that it could be seen and recognised
by the soldiers during the battle.
Weekender © BBC Learning English
Page 1 of 3
bbclearningenglish.com
In time this became a purely ceremonial event. This means it is done for
display and exhibition. In 1748 it became the ceremony that was used to mark
the sovereign's birthday.
But what has all this to do with the Queen having two birthdays? Here's BBC
Correspondent June Kelly to explain, as she says the second birthday began
with one of the Queen's ancestors, Edward the Seventh. Why did he start the
practice of having a second birthday.
JUNE KELLY
This was brought in by Edward the 7th, he brought it in, because his birthday was in the winter,
he thought it wasn’t a particularly good time to have Trooping the Colour, so therefore the
decision was made for to have an official birthday. And basically, it was done for that reason,
simply because the weather and parades that we see on Trooping the Colour.
Callum: So the reason for the monarch having an official birthday in the summer is
simply the British weather. The Trooping of the Colour is a colourful and
spectacular ceremony which is best appreciated in the summer. Because
Edward 7th birthday was in winter he decided there should be an official
birthday in the summer. Listen again.
JUNE KELLY
This was brought in by Edward the 7th, he brought it in, because his birthday was in the winter,
he thought it wasn’t a particularly good time to have Trooping the Colour, so therefore the
decision was made for to have an official birthday. And basically, it was done for that reason,
simply because the weather and parades that we see on Trooping the Colour.
Callum: Edward 7th died in 1910, so what happened after that. June Kelly now talks
about his successors, his successors, the people who followed after him as
monarch. She also uses a very formal expression to say that something finished
Weekender © BBC Learning English
Page 2 of 3
bbclearningenglish.com
or wasn't done for a while – it 'fell into abeyance' 'fell into abeyance'. Here's
June Kelly again taking about the practice of the monarch having an official
birthday in the summer.
JUNE KELLY
Then it fell into abeyance, because his successors had birthdays in the summer, so it was
alright to have Trooping the Colour then. But the Queen’s father, George the 6th reinstated it,
because he too was a winter baby, and the Queen has followed that tradition.
Callum: After the death of Edward 7th the practice 'fell into abeyance', it didn't happen
because the monarchs had their actual birthdays in the summer. The Queen's
father, George 6th started it again – or reinstated it as June says. Since then the
Queen has followed this tradition. Listen again.
JUNE KELLY
Then it fell into abeyance, because his successors had birthdays in the summer, so it was
alright to have Trooping the Colour then. But the Queen’s father, George the 6th reinstated it,
because he too was a winter baby, and the Queen has followed that tradition.
Callum: That's all from this edition of Weekender.
Weekender © BBC Learning English
Page 3 of 3
bbclearningenglish.com
