King Charles set to make a major change with public holiday in 70 years

After ascending to the throne, King Charles has made plenty of changes to his reign, whether it was to acquiesce loved ones or in his efforts to slim down the monarchy.

Now, the monarch is making a major change to the public holiday, after 70 years, ahead of his birthday.

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, per News.com.au.

The change in the name of the holiday comes after Charles took the throne following his mother, Queen Elizabeth’s death last year in September.

Despite the King being born on November 14th, 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 12th.

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 25th.

The late Queen was the longest reigning monarch, taking the throne in 1952 and his rule expanding to 70 years. 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.