Prince William might reportedly take a fresh look at Trooping the Colour’s birthday traditions after he becomes King. The event stands as one of the British Royal family‘s most iconic ceremonies. Every June, this annual military parade celebrates the reigning monarch’s official birthday, featuring hundreds of soldiers, horses, and a flypast over Buckingham Palace.
Prince William might change Royal birthday rules once he becomes King
Prince William may introduce changes to the rules surrounding the reigning monarch’s official birthday once he becomes King.
As reported by the Daily Express, a former royal butler has said that there may be less need for one of the monarchy’s biggest birthday traditions once Prince William succeeds to the crown. For the unversed, every monarch actually has two birthdays, the day they were born, and the “official” birthday celebrated later in the year. That second date is marked with Trooping the Colour, the military parade most recently held on Saturday, June 13.
The tradition goes back to the 1700s. It was started because monarchs born in winter couldn’t guarantee good weather for a public parade. Because of that, Edward VII also used a summer date for the official celebrations.
King Charles III’s real birthday is November 14, the same month as his great-great-grandfather Edward VII. Hence, the monarch standardized the summer tradition. He merged his birthday with a military parade to take advantage of warmer, drier weather.
However, Grant Harrold, who worked for the King at Highgrove, has noted that Prince William’s birthday falls in June. So the current format may change when he becomes king.
“There is no guarantee that Prince William will scrap the two-birthday tradition when he eventually becomes King, but some royal watchers have speculated that he could choose to review it,” Mr Harrold shared with Heart Bingo Online.
“Because his birthday falls on the 21st of June, there would be less practical need for a separate official birthday, as the date already coincides with the time of year traditionally used for royal celebrations,” he added.
