Britain's national day is always celebrated in June by the British Embassy in Brazil. On this day, we celebrate the official birthday of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Sovereign’s birthday is celebrated in a summer day in the Northern Hemisphere. Since 1805, the “official” birthday of the Sovereign has been marked by Trooping the Colour, a ceremony normally carried out on the second Saturday of June.

Trooping the colour

This ceremony had its origins in a time when it was essential for soldiers to recognise the flag or ‘Colour’ of its regiment, so that they could follow it during battles. Since then, every year all five regiments of foot guards (Grenadiers, Coldstream Guards, Scots, Irish and Welsh Guards) take turns to display their Colour in the ceremony.

The ceremony starts when the Queen leaves Buckingham Palace escorted by the Royal House Guards. She rides down The Mall and goes to the parade ground known as Horse Guards Parade and inspects the 500 guardsmen.

The Colour is "trooped" by being carried along the ranks of guardsmen. The leading regiment conducts the other guards on a march past the Queen, accompanied by the bands of all five regiments.

No special ceremony is carried out on the Queen’s birth date (April 21st), though the national flag is raised in public buildings and the national anthem is sung.

40 years of the visit to Brazil

This year, the Queen’s Birthday Party in Brasília will have an extra reason for celebration. We will remember Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s visit to Brazil. They arrived on 1 November 1968 and spent 10 days visiting the country.

During their stay, Her Majesty and His Royal Highness visited Brasília, where the Brazilian President, Mr. Costa e Silva, welcomed them. They visited the Brazilian Supreme Court, the National Congress and many other sightseeing points of Brazil's new capital. During the night they spent in the city, the Royal couple was received by the President at a banquet offered in their honour at the Itamaraty Palace.  

The following day, Her Majesty and His Royal Highness travelled to São Paulo, where they inaugurated the Museum of Arts and took part in different ceremonies with British citizens living in Brazil, the Governor of the State of São Paulo, and the Mayor of the City of São Paulo.

After two days, the Royal couple travelled to Rio, where they remained until the day of their return.