Birthday of His Majesty the King in the UK Date in the current year: November 14, 2024

The tradition of celebrating the sovereign’s birthday in the Kingdom of Great Britain began in 1748, during the reign of King George II. Celebrations were originally held on the monarch’s actual birthday, but when King Edward II, who was born in November, ascended the throne, he decided to celebrate his official birthday in summer in the hope of good weather, and so a new tradition was born.

Today, the sovereign’s official birthday with its Trooping the Colour parade is typically celebrated in the UK on a Saturday in June, although some Commonwealth realms prefer other dates, and the sovereign’s actual birthday is a flag flying day when the Union Flag must be flown on all government buildings. It should also be noted that the sovereign’s actual birthday is a public holiday in the Falkland Islands.

The incumbent King of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms is Charles III. He was born to Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh and Philip, Duke of Edinburgh on November 14, 1948. Charles’s mother ascended the throne as Queen Elizabeth II on February 6, 1952, following the death of her father, King George VI.

Charles became the heir apparent immediately upon her accession. Elizabeth officially created him Prince of Wales in July 1958, when Charles was only nine years old, but the investiture ceremony that formally presented him the title took place on July 1, 1969, when Charles was twenty years old. It was preceded by a year-long promotional campaign designed to raise the profile of Wales.

Charles served in the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy during most of the 1970s and began to take more royal duties in 1976, when he founded the Prince’s Trust to help vulnerable young people facing issues such as disability, mental health problems, homelessness, or trouble with the law.

Charles married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981. They had two children, William (born in 1982) and Harry (born in 1984). Due to the couple’s incompatibility and age difference, their marriage started to fall apart within five years. Charles and Diana officially separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996. Charles made the first public appearance with Camilla Parker Bowles, his long-term affair partner, in 1999. They announced their engagement in February 2005 and married two months later.

Elizabeth II passed away on September 8, 2022, and Charles ascended the throne as King Charles III. At the time of his ascension, he was the longest-serving heir apparent in British history (70 years and 214 days) and the oldest person to ascend the British throne (at 73 years and 298 days).

It should be noted that the birthday of King Charles III is not the only birthday in the Royal Family that is a flag flying day. The birthdays of some other members of the Royal Family and anniversaries of certain events are official flag days in the UK as well. They include His Majesty’s Wedding Day (April 9), the Birthday of the Prince of Wales (June 21), the Birthday of the Queen Consort (July 17), and His Majesty’s Accession Day (September 8).