The mystery of Queen Elizabeth’s many birthdays

One Day State Mourning on September 11th as a mark of respect on the passing away of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

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Documents accessed from the National Archives show that in March 1952, just a month after the Queen had succeeded her father King George VI, the Indian government issued an order that the Union Jack — the national flag of the United Kingdom — should be flown alongside the Indian national flag on government buildings in New Delhi to mark her birthday.

And therein lies a story.

The government’s original order

The archives reveal that on March 31, 1952, an order was issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to the Ministry of Works, Production and Supplies, stating that it had been decided that on the birthday of Queen Elizabeth, the Union Jack should be flown side by side with the Indian National Flag on all government and public buildings in Delhi and New Delhi.

This order, signed by A V Raman, Undersecretary to the Government of India, noted that the Queen’s birthday falls on Thursday, June 5. “It is requested that necessary instructions may be issued to implement this decision,” the letter said.

A second order — and an amendment

Three months after the original order, the MHA issued a second order on June 15, 1952, superseding the letter issued on March 31. This order said: “It has been decided that in future Union Jack should be flown on occasion of birthday of Queen Elizabeth the Second only on the secretariat buildings in New Delhi and nowhere else either in old or new Delhi, and in no event on the Parliament buildings, nor anywhere else in India”.

This order was signed by Fateh Singh, Deputy Secretary to the Government of India.

The third order — discontinuing the practice

On April 4, 1953, a third letter on the same subject was issued by the MHA. This order was signed by Lal Chand, Assistant Secretary to the Government of India.

This letter stated: “It has now been decided that the practice of displaying the Union Jack on government buildings on birthday of Queen Elizabeth the Second, which falls this year on 11th June, should be discontinued and instead the National Flag of India may be prominently displayed on the Secretariat and other public buildings in Delhi and New Delhi.”

The Queen’s two birthdays — or three?

While the government’s first order (March 31, 1952) said the Queen’s birthday was on June 5, the third order (April 4, 1953) mentioned the date June 11. In fact, neither of these dates is her birthday. The Queen was born on April 21, 1926.

The confusion arises because until 1959, the Queen celebrated her birthday not on any specific date, but on the second Thursday of June — and therefore, the date varied every year. This practice was the same as the one her father followed — during the period he occupied the throne, King George VI also celebrated his official birthday on the second Thursday of June.

In 1959, Queen Elizabeth’s official birthday was marked on the second Saturday of June.