King Charles adopts tradition of royal birthday

(CNS): The Cayman Islands will continue enjoying its annual June public holiday as Buckingham Palace has revealed that King Charles III will adopt the tradition of an official royal birthday. The new king, like his mother before him, will celebrate his birthday on 17 June with Trooping the Colour, despite previous indications he might reduce some of the royal pomp during his reign.

George II, whose actual birthday was also in November, began the tradition of an official royal birthday in June 1748 because it was too cold and wet in London for a parade at that time of year.

The decision to continue with the official summer birthday for the king means that Cayman will also get a public holiday on 19 June. Cayman’s Public Holiday Act sets out the official sovereign’s birthday celebration here as the “Monday following the Saturday appointed in the United Kingdom as the official birthday of the reigning sovereign”.

Details of the Cayman Islands’ celebrations, including the traditional King’s Birthday Parade and Garden Party, will be announced later. Before that however, Cayman will also enjoy an additional public holiday this year on Monday, 8 May, for the coronation of the new monarch, which is set for Saturday, 6 May, making the celebrations a long weekend.

The updated 2023 public holidays in the Cayman Islands are:

• Monday, 2 January – New Year’s Day (observed)
• Monday, 23 January – National Heroes Day
• Wednesday, 22 February – Ash Wednesday
• Friday, 7 April – Good Friday
• Monday, 10 April – Easter Monday
• Monday, 8 May – HRH King Charles III Coronation
• Monday, 15 May – Discovery Day
• Monday, 19 June – HRH King Charles III Birthday
• Monday, 3 July – Constitution Day 
• Monday, 13 November – Remembrance Day
• Monday, 25 December – Christmas Day
• Tuesday, 26 December – Boxing Day