With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, many questions are up in the air as to what happens. New coins will need to be minted, bank notes changed, and a national anthem altered. There will be, however, less impactful changes to happen which will be on everybody’s lips as a new monarch enters the frame. Key among them is whether the Queen’s Birthday public holiday date will change with her death, or will it remain as is during the next monarch’s reign?
Will the Queen’s Birthday public holiday change?
The Queen’s Birthday was originally titled the King’s Official Birthday. Put into the calendar in 1748 for King George II, it was later set in stone to reflect any ruling monarch’s birthday. The period between May 20 or May 24 has generally been used in the Commonwealth realms to reflect the monarch’s birthday, with a few exceptions in smaller territories. Changes have also been made several times to push it into June.
Fiji, despite abolishing the monarchy, still kept the Queen’s Birthday as 12 June in their yearly calendars until a new order was made that got rid of the holiday. In Australia, the second Monday in June is picked to celebrate, with Western Australia and Queensland not observing.
New Zealand celebrates on the first Monday in June, while Canada celebrates it as the last Monday before May 25. In the United Kingdom, it is not exactly a public holiday, but instead merged into a Bank Holiday.
The likelihood of the Queen’s Birthday changing is unclear, but considering nearly 250 years of tradition has kept the observance of the occassion alive despite the ruling monarch’s actual birthday, it is unlikely to change. More likely will be certain Commonwealth nations seeking to leave the Monarchy and establish republics, as some have advocated for in Australia.
Published: Sep 8, 2022 06:49 pm