On the 200th anniversary of Cyfarthfa Castle, a Welsh landmark, King Charles celebrated another milestone—his 77th birthday. While visiting the south of Wales on Friday, November 14, the monarch blew out his birthday candles (metaphorically speaking) for a second time this calendar year.
As followers of the royal family will have noticed, Charles had already celebrated his birthday last June at Trooping the Colour, a military event held in London at the Horse Guards Parade on the occasion of the monarch’s official birthday.
But why did this first celebration take place on a date so much earlier than his birthday? It’s an old royal tradition. Queen Elizabeth II, born on April 21, 1926, also celebrated her official birthday in June. The double birthday custom dates back to the reign of King George II in 1748. Like King Charles, he was also born in November and would not have found the weather ideal for a public, outdoor celebration. He therefore preferred to celebrate in June, a decision that remained customary for his successors. Traditionally, the ceremony took place on the second Thursday of the month, but Queen Elizabeth II decided during her reign to move it to Saturday, so that it could be open to the public. Unlike the monarch’s actual date of birth, the date of the official birthday thus changes each year, since the second Saturday of the month does not always correspond to the same calendar day.
In a post published on the royal family’s Instagram account, well-wishers were warmly thanked for their celebratory birthday messages. “77 years old today! Thank you for your kind words and good wishes on the occasion of His Majesty’s birthday,” the caption reads alongside an official photograph of King Charles. Dressed in a beige Barbour jacket, cane in hand, the father of Prince William and Prince Harry appears very relaxed in the garden of the family’s Sandringham estate. In recent weeks, however, the royal family has been in a state of turmoil, with the death of the Duchess of Kent in September and the withdrawal of the royal titles from Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the King’s brother, in October of this year. If there was ever a time to cram in two positive occasions, 2025 may have been the royal household’s year.
Originally published in Vanity Fair France
