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A day off - According to Hello! magazine, royals traditionally get a day off on their birthdays. That means they don’t need to carry out their usual royal duties, like making public appearances and attending formal meetings.

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Royal duty calls -

This leaves them free to have a low-key party with family, or go all out on a lavish event. That being said, sometimes their sense of duty comes first! In 2018, Prince William spent his birthday at the opening ceremony of the Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre in Northampton, England.

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Royal parties -

Most of the time, their birthday parties are pretty modest. Although they have the means to throw the party of the century, they often take their birthdays as an opportunity to spend time with close friends and family out of the spotlight.

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Royal children - Royal children are no exception. The little ones like Prince George and Princess Charlotte have celebrated their birthdays with simple affairs like tea parties and cake at home with close friends and family.

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Royal children - These celebrations are kept private and no photos are shared on social media, with the exception of the yearly birthday photo!

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Gun salutes -

Even if they choose to celebrate in private, there’s still a gun salute! Old-fashioned canons are wheeled out to blast out some birthday cheer. The basic birthday salute is 21 rounds, fired at 10 second intervals. However, if the canons are being fired at a special royal location like Hyde Park or the Tower of London, they get an extra 20 booms!

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Social media -

The royal family aim to meet the demands of the 21st century and are on social media! They have family Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram pages that post on their behalf. A fuss is always made online when a royal birthday comes around, and they often post rare vintage photos of the royals.

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Birthday photos - William and Kate have started a tradition of releasing a new photo of their children on their birthdays, for the public to see how they're growing up. They generally try to keep their kids out of the spotlight, but this yearly update is a nice gesture.

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Commemorative coins -

Monarchs and heirs to the throne are honored with a commemorative coin on milestone birthdays. A commemorative coin was made for Prince George by the Royal Mint when he was born, and another on his fifth birthday.

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Royal birthday cakes -

Even when they don't have a big party, the royal birthday cake is always a big deal. It's a particular honor to bake the cake for the Queen or King. 

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Charles' 60th -

Then-Prince Charles was gifted a cake with a pensioner bus pass on it when he turned 60, as he technically became eligible to use public transport for free!

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Camilla's 60th -

For Queen Camilla's 60th birthday, she had cake in the shape of the hats she always wears on special occasions!

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Queen Elizabeth's 90th -

Sometimes the cake is specially commissioned. For the late Queen's 90th birthday in 2016, 'Great British Bake Off' champion Nadiya Hussain was asked to create a special cake. She came up with a three-tier orange-flavored cake with purple and gold icing.

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Prince George's first birthday - Prince William and the Princess of Wales have created many of their own family traditions. They took the adorable Prince George on a trip to the Natural History Museum in London for his first birthday. He's pictured here being mesmerized by the butterflies!

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The Queen Mother's centenary -

When the Queen Mother turned 100 in the year 2000, she showed her incredible stamina by appearing in full evening attire at the Royal Opera House after a day of public appearances. She celebrated by enjoying a performance from the Kirov Ballet with her daughters, Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret.

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The big bashes - Each of King Charles' birthdays have been celebrated in a big way. Even before he was king, he enjoyed the fanfare!

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Charles' 50th birthday -

Charles' 50th birthday was marked with a rare bit of humor for a royal family member! He spent the days before his birthday in Sheffield, England, the setting of the 1997 comedy movie 'The Full Monty.' It tells the story of a group of unemployed men who become strippers to pay the bills.

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Charles' 50th birthday -

He took part in recreating one of the famous dance scenes from the movie and was presented with a cake that had "The Full Monarchy" iced on it. He also had a large party in London with esteemed family and friends. There were no male strippers, as far as we know!

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Charles' 60th birthday -

For Charles' 60th, there were multiple occasions to celebrate his birthday. He attended a charity concert in aid of the Prince’s Trust at Wimbledon Theatre, an official event at Buckingham Palace, and a more intimate party at his country home in Highgrove.

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Charles' 60th birthday -

His party was attended by famous British actresses Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, and Rod Stewart performed his song ‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?’

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Charles' 70th birthday -

For his 70th birthday, Charles organized a garden party, which was attended by members of the many charitable causes and foundations he supports. Prince Harry made a speech in his father’s honor, which was momentarily interrupted by a bee, where he expressed how inspired he was by Charle’s dedication to his causes.

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Charles' 70th birthday -

One of the many other celebrations included a variety show for the then-Prince, jokingly called ‘We Are Most Amused and Amazed.’ There were performances from Rowan Atkinson, Bill Bailey, and magicians Penn and Teller.

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Trooping the Colour -

Historically, it was Queen Elizabeth who had the biggest party of all. As the reigning monarch, she was celebrated with an enormous ceremony every year called Trooping the Colour. Each regiment of the British and Commonwealth militaries takes part in marches, parades, and performances.

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Trooping the Colour: King George II -

Trooping the Colour has occurred every year for centuries to celebrate the birthday of the reigning monarch. The tradition began with King George II in 1748, but his birthday was in November so he declared that the ceremony should always be held in June, regardless of birth date, to ensure the best possible weather!

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Trooping the Colour: the parade -

The ceremony begins when the monarch travels down the Mall from Buckingham Palace, escorted by the Household Cavalry, to salute the troops of each regiment. Music for the parade is provided by hundreds of musicians from the various military bands. 

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Trooping the Colour: the parade -

In her later years, the Queen began to travel by horse and carriage. King Charles experienced his first Trooping the Colour ceremony as monarch in 2023, and chose to ride on horse back accompanied by Prince William and Prince Edward. 

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Trooping the Colour: air show -

The monarch makes their way to Buckingham Palace and the entire royal family gathers on their balcony to enjoy the rest of the display.

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Trooping the Colour: air show -

One of the best parts of the ceremony is the Royal Air Force flypast. Fighter jets put on a spectacular display above Buckingham Palace.

Sources: (Cheat Sheet) (Insider) (BBC)

See also: The strange rules and traditions of the British royal family

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