Biggest change in 70 years for public holiday

As of this year, the Queen’s Birthday public holiday will be known as the King’s Birthday – a label that will most likely stick for the next two generations of monarchs at least.

The name change comes after the ascension of King Charles III to the throne in September last year following the death of Australia’s longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.

Despite the King being born on November 14, 1948, most Australian states celebrate the monarch’s birthday as a public holiday on the second Monday of June, in line with British celebrations.

For South Australia, NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory, this year’s King’s Birthday will be observed on June 12.

In Queensland, the public holiday falls on the first Monday of October, which this year will be October 2.

As Western Australia holds Western Australia Day on the first Monday of June, it celebrates the King’s Birthday in September in an effort to spread out its public holidays.

This year it will fall on Monday, September 25.

Excluding a legislative amendment made to the states’ respective Public Holidays Acts to change the name, in practice nothing else about the day should be different.

Most Australians have only ever known the public holiday as the Queen’s Birthday, with Queen Elizabeth II reigning as monarch for 70 years, taking the throne in 1952.

Following the death of her father King George VI, Elizabeth ascended to the throne at just 25 years of age, ruling until her death last year at the age of 96.

Charles, however, took the British throne at the age of 73 – the oldest monarch to ever do so.

The tradition of celebrating the sovereign’s birthday in June began with George II in 1748. He felt November, his actual birth month, was too cold for a celebratory parade.

During the reign of Edward VII, also born in November, the standardisation of official summer birthday celebrations was implemented.

Unlike other public holidays such as Good Friday and Boxing Day, most businesses will remain open, albeit some with reduced hours of operation.

Most states and territories celebrating the long weekend can expect some showers either on the weekend or the Monday, with the exception of Hobart and Darwin.