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Queen’s Birthday Facts & Worksheets

Confusing as it may seem, the Queen's Official Birthday, or the King's Official Birthday does not necessarily celebrate the actual birthday of the Monarch, but rather it is the selected day in a Commonwealth realm.

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Confusing as it may seem, the Queen’s Official Birthday, or the King’s Official Birthday does not necessarily celebrate the actual birthday of the Monarch, but rather it is the selected day in a Commonwealth realm. A Commonwealth realm is a country or sovereign state wherein Queen Elizabeth II rules as constitutional monarch and head of state.

See the fact file below for more information on the Queen’s Birthday or alternatively, you can download our 21-page Queen’s Birthday worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

BACKGROUND

  • As of 2019, there are 16 Commonwealth realms: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize. Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent Grenadines, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, United Kingdom.
  • All of the 16 Commonwealth realms are members of the Commonwealth of Nations.
  • The Commonwealth of Nations, simply known as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 53 member states, most of which were the former territories of the British Empire.
  • The Commonwealth Secretariat, focuses on government-related aspects of the Commonwealth.
  • The Commonwealth Foundation, focuses on non-governmental relations between member states.
  • Queen Elizabeth II is at the head and highest respected leader of the Commonwealth.
  • The first Sovereign’s Birthday officially marked in 1748 in the Kingdom of Great Britain, for King George II.
  • Since then, the king or queen’s birthday has been determined throughout the British Empire.
  • Later on, it was determined and celebrated by the Commonwealth of Nations either by Royal Proclamations issued by the Sovereign or Governor, or by laws passed by the local parliament.
  • The date of celebration of the Monarch’s Birthday varies as adopted by each country and often happens around the end of May or beginning of June.
  • The date is strategically selected for it is the season in which the weather is pleasant for outdoor ceremonies in the Northern Hemisphere.
  • In some cases the Monarch’s Birthday is a public holiday, sometimes aligning with celebration of other events.
  • The Commonwealth realms release a Queen’s Birthday Honours list at this time.
  • Various individuals are granted the Birthday Honours which is an equivalent of an appointment to a national order or a decoration and a medal.
  • The sovereign state and monarch awards the order as a great honour to a person as a way to recognize their individual achievement.
  • The order often a collar, medal badge, or sash worn by recipients.

CELEBRATION IN AUSTRALIA

  • The first celebration of the Queen’s Birthday in Australia was held in 1788.
  • The Queen’s Birthday is often observed and celebrated on the second Monday in June on the states and territories in Australia.
  • However, Western Australia and Queensland is an exception.
  • Western Australia Day, formerly known as Foundation Day, is celebrated all over Western Australia on the first Monday of June every year to pay tribute to the founding of the Swan River Colony in 1829.
  • The Governor of Western Australia each year proclaims the day on which the state will celebrate the Queen’s Birthday, along with the Perth Royal Show.
  • Each year, an agricultural show called the Perth Royal Show is held in Perth, Western Australia at the Claremont Showground.
  • There are educational exhibits, agricultural contests, rides, display animals, and a fairground in the Perth Royal Show.
  • The Perth Royal Show has been held for over 100 years and is organised by the Royal Agricultural Society of Western Australia.
  • In 2012, Queensland celebrated the holiday in October, as the June holiday was reserved to mark Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee as Queen of Australia.
  • After which, the holiday defaulted to its traditional date, as other Eastern Australian states celebrate it.
  • Since 2016, Queensland celebrates the holiday on the first Monday of October.
  • Since 1788, the holiday has been celebrated every year as Governor Arthur Phillip declared the holiday as a commemoration of the birthday of the King of Great Britain.

NEW ZEALAND

  • In New Zealand, the Queen’s Birthday is celebrated on the first Monday in June.
  • The Celebrations are mainly official, including the Queen’s Birthday Honours list and military ceremonies.
  • The Queen’s Birthday is sought to be replaced as there have been proposals to replace the holiday with Matariki (Maori New Year) as an official Holiday.
  • In the Māori language, Matariki is the name of the Pleiades star cluster and also of the season of its first rising in late May or early June.
  • The first rising of the Pleiades star cluster marks the beginning of a new year for the Maori, which is coincidental to the Queen’s Holiday.

DATES TO REMEMBER

  • In 2020, the Queen’s Birthday will be celebrated on September 28 (Monday) in Australia and June 1 (Monday) in New Zealand.

RENAMING

  • In 2009, the idea of renaming the Queen’s Birthday weekend to Hillary Weekend was raised, because of Sir Edmund Percival Hillary’s achievement.
  • Sir Edmund Percival Hillary is a mountaineer, explorer, and philanthropist who hails from New Zealand.
  • Hillary together with Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay were the first climbers to have reached the summit of Mount Everest on May 29, 1953.

Queen’s Birthday Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Queen’s Birthday across 21 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Queen’s Birthday worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Queen’s Official Birthday, or the King’s Official Birthday which does not necessarily celebrate the actual birthday of the Monarch, but rather it is the selected day in a Commonwealth realm. A Commonwealth realm is a country or sovereign state wherein Queen Elizabeth II rules as constitutional monarch and head of state.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Queen’s Birthday Facts
  • Biography Fit For A Queen
  • Commonwhat?
  • Date Of Celebration
  • My Short Story
  • Country Compare
  • Queen’s Board
  • Birthday Honours
  • Holiday Overview
  • Paper Crown
  • Dear Queen

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Link will appear as Queen’s Birthday Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, August 12, 2019

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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