Queens Are Born in May

Ever wondered how this phrase started? T-shirts and other merchandise have so popularized it that even though it referred to the British Queen's birthday in April, lots of stuff for women have been made (and other spin-off phrases) with the other birthday months.

On June 10 this year, Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, turns 91. But the Queen actually has two birthdays. She was born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary on April 21, 1926, the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York who would later on become King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

The Queen's Official Birthday, which this year falls on a Saturday the 10th of June, is a public holiday celebrated with the Birthday Parade, also known as Trooping the Colour. It has long been a tradition of the British monarchy (as long ago as 1748, when it was started by King George II) that the reigning sovereign's birthday celebration be marked with Trooping the Colour, and because of the unpredictable British weather the birthday parade was to be held in May or June when there was a greater likelihood of good weather for the parade to go through. Trooping the Colour is quite a grand affair of Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall, London and followed by the Royal Family watching a military fly-past in Buckingham Palace.

The Queen's birthday is still a bit popular, and you can see lots of messages in shirts out there saying "Queens are born in April" in reference to her actual birthday, although there are also other shirts and merchandise indicating other months. Already there are t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, and other products for sale on Amazon, and other online stores.