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June 13, 2005

Happy Birthday Betty

This weekend, most of Australia (WA excepted) has a long weekend to celebrate the Queens Birthday. So: Happy Birthday Betty Elizabeth II. The thing that is strangest about this is that she was actually born on the 21st of April, 1926....

Actually, the Queen's Birthday Holiday is a movable feast, it is generally held on the second Monday in June (except in WA which holds it in September or October). The weekend is also the official start to the ski season...

Does anyone know why we celebrate QE2's birthday in June instead of April?

The answer is in the extended article, but try leaving a comment with your suggestions before checking the answer :-)

On the 4th of June, 1788 (about 4 months after the colony was established), Governor Arthur Phillip declared a public holiday to celebrate the birthday of George III (born 4 June 1738 and king at the time).

Note that some sites get confused with things like Edward VII (who celebrated his birthday in summer because it was more fun) and George V (born 3 June 1865) but there is no plausible link to Australia for either story.

Posted by Ozguru at June 13, 2005 07:00 AM

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Comments

Actually, she was known as Lillibet in her growing-up years, as that was Margaret's attempt to say Elizabeth.

Posted by: MommaBear at June 17, 2005 04:01 AM

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