Saturday, 6 June 2026
Government House
Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC

Thank you Uncle Allen^[1] for your warm Welcome to Country.

I acknowledge the Gadigal and pay my respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

Today we are celebrating, not a birthday, but a tradition which links us across the nation and the 15 realms^[2] of the Commonwealth, whose constitutional monarch is King Charles III. 

His Majesty’s birthdate is 14 November, a chilly time of year in Great Britain, not conducive to the enjoyment of the Trooping of the Colour which has marked the Sovereign’s Birthday at least since 1805 and possibly since 1748 when King George II’s birthday was the first official commemoration of the Sovereign’s Birthday.^[3] 

Following the death of George V in 1936, official celebrations have always taken place in June,^[4] to avoid those otherwise frosty London mornings when the birthday of the sovereign fell later in the year, as was the case with George VI’s December birthdate. This tradition was continued by Queen Elizabeth II and now by His Majesty King Charles III.   

The Sovereign’s Birthday has been celebrated in Australia since the beginning of the colony of New South Wales. The initial commemoration^[5] was on 4 June 1788, on the occasion of King George III’s 50th birthday. It was a suitably impressive event and included a 21 Gun Salute, not once, but 3 times – first at sunrise, then midday, and again at sunset. ‘God save the King’ was sung^[6] and a holiday pronounced for all.

In 1803, a new element was included with the raising of the Royal Standard – the Monarch’s Banner of Arms – usually reserved for occasions when the Sovereign is present.^[7] There was thus introduced a unique colonial tradition of the Royal Standard being raised honouring a virtual presence. The Royal Standard was flown for the first time at this Government House for Queen Victoria’s birthday in 1841.^[8]  

On 31st of October 1867, the Royal Standard was flown in the presence of Royalty, when Prince Alfred, the Duke of Edinburgh and second son of Queen Victoria, stepped ashore in Adelaide,^[9] the first ever visit by a member of the Royal Family. 

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II further developed these traditions with the introduction of her Personal Flag for Australia, approved in 1962 and used during her 1963 visit.^[10] 

Continuing that tradition, and marking another historic occasion at Government House, shortly the King’s Personal Flag for Australia will be unfurled to symbolise his Majesty’s virtual presence. Featuring the symbols of our six states and an ermine border representing the Federation, King Charles approved the flag in 2024, ahead of last year’s Royal Visit.^[11]

It is difficult to pinpoint any particular time in a nation’s history when not only tradition, but the importance of tradition, cements itself into social consciousness.  

It is 238 years since that first King’s Birthday celebration here in Australia and 223 years since the Sovereign’s presence has been acknowledged virtually. Throughout that time, there have been multifactorial impacts on Australia’s national consciousness. 

Belatedly, we are learning of the depth and wisdom of Indigenous culture.

The consular corps of the 15 Commonwealth nations of the realm join with us today, just as we celebrate their national days.

The vibrancy of a multicultural nation of some 250 ancestries has added to our richness. Those sections of our community also enjoy this long weekend and everything that these early beautiful winter days have to offer. 

In all of this magnificent diversity, tradition is a connector which enables us as a country to have our own distinctive identity without losing the richness of the cultures or our people. And, whilst tradition is a binding force, it should never be a stultifying one.  

Queen Elizabeth adverted to this in her opening speech to CHOGM in Perth in 2011, her last visit to Australia, when she referred to the importance of “always being attuned to the issues of the day, and always looking to the future with a sense of vision and practical action to match.”^[12]

King Charles made a similar point in this year’s Commonwealth Day speech when he referred to both the “challenges and… possibilities” of our times.^[13] In doing so, he stressed the importance of community, enterprise, creativity, and service. 

Today, as we celebrate the traditions of the King’s Birthday, we are reminded that these are the touchstones which strengthen our nation.

God Save the King. Long may he reign!