In brief
- Much of Australia will have a day off in celebration of the King's Birthday on Monday.
- However, two states will mark the occasion later in the year.
Australians in most states and territories will get a day off on Monday for the King's Birthday.
But residents of Queensland and Western Australia will have to wait until later this year for their long weekends.
Those in the ACT, New South Wales, Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria will have a long weekend, thanks to the 8 June public holiday.
Why do some states differ?
Queensland celebrates the King's Birthday on the first Monday of October, which falls on 5 October this year.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
The Queensland government moved the public holiday in 2015 so that public holidays would be better spread out throughout the year.
Most of Western Australia marks the public holiday on 28 September.
However, the City of Karratha and town of Port Hedland will observe it on 3 August due to the timing of local events.
Western Australia has long celebrated the monarch's birth — previously the Queen's Birthday — later in the year to coincide with the Perth Royal Show and to space it out from another public holiday in June.
When is the king's actual birthday?
King Charles III was born on 14 November, 1948. His late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was born on 21 April, 1926.
The public holiday was renamed after the queen's death, but the dates remained the same.
The monarch's birthday has traditionally been celebrated in June or sometimes May in the UK, so that the outdoor celebrations were more likely to coincide with better weather.
June is the first month of summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
There is typically a Saturday military parade in London called Trooping the Colour for the birthday event.
This year's parade will be held on 13 June.
According to the British royal family's website, the queen would typically spend her actual birthday privately.
Australia celebrates the sovereign's birthday because Australia is a constitutional monarchy, and as head of the British Commonwealth, King Charles is Australia's head of state.
Many other Commonwealth countries celebrate the monarch's birthday, including New Zealand, Canada and Papua New Guinea.
For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter.
