Grant Harrold says Prince William could review the monarchy’s two-birthday tradition when he becomes king, raising the possibility that one of the royal calendar’s oldest rituals could change under the next reign.
The comment lands just as fans look ahead to 2025 Trooping The Colour on Saturday, June 13, when Prince William, Princess Kate and their children are expected to make their annual appearance. The parade is the monarch’s official birthday celebration, and it has been staged every year since 1760, even though it began in the reign of Charles II.
Harrold, a former royal butler, said there is no guarantee William will scrap the arrangement. He also noted that some royal watchers believe the prince could choose to review it. That is enough to keep the tradition in view this week, because Trooping is not just a pageant. It is the public face of how the monarchy marks birthdays that do not always line up with the weather or the calendar.
The reason for the split is practical as much as ceremonial. King George II introduced the idea of an official birthday in the summer during the 18th century, when winter-born monarchs needed a warmer date for outdoor celebrations. That logic fit kings such as Charles, who was born in November, and Queen Elizabeth, whose birthday was in April. It looks less convincing for William, who was born on June 21 and already has a summer birthday of his own.
That is why speculation about change keeps surfacing. Harrold said the tradition dates back to the 18th century, when Britain’s weather was often cold, wet and unpredictable, and the monarch ended up with both a real birthday and an official birthday celebrated separately. In William’s case, the two dates would be closer than they have been for some of his predecessors, which is what gives the question its edge.
Prince Louis, who made his Trooping debut in 2019, will again be part of the family tableau if the Waleses appear as expected. But the bigger story is what the day represents for William’s future reign: a ceremony built for a different climate and a different era may not be untouchable forever. Harrold’s message is simple enough. William may keep the tradition as it is. He may decide it no longer needs to survive in its current form. For now, the question sits where it belongs, just ahead of the parade and unresolved.
