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The Queen's Birthday, known as The Queen's Official Birthday, celebrated as a public holiday in several Commonwealth countries—usually Commonwealth Realms. The word "Queen" in the name of the celebration is replaced by "King" when appropriate. The exact date of the celebration varies from country to country and, oddly enough, doesn’t usually mark the real birthday of the monarch; the current monarch, for instance, was born on April 21, 1926. Commonwealth Realms typically release a Birthday Honours List around this time.

In the United Kingdom, the Queen’s Birthday is celebrated on either the first, second or third Saturday in June. As expected, the celebrations are finely planned splendour. First time London tourists are encouraged to attend: watching the Trooping Colour, the military pageant to mark The Queen’s birthday, would make for an unforgettable event. Trooping the Colour takes place on Horse Guards Parade in London's St James's Park.

The ceremony of Trooping the Colour is full of military pomp and pageantry as The Queen carries out an inspection of the troops from the Household Division.

The Queen will then lead the troops down the Mall to Buckingham Palace. The Queen will then salute and guns are fired in Green Park and at the Tower of London. Towards the climax of the ceremony, Her Majesty will join other members of the Royal Family on the balcony to watch the RAF flypast.

Tickets for the Trooping the Colour are available to the public. Naturally they are usually sold out fast and interested travellers to London are advised to apply for tickets in writing around January or February.

If you're not lucky enough to get a ticket for Trooping the Colour, join the crowds of spectators along the Mall to watch all the action!