SO DO you know? Exactly why does the Queen have two birthdays?

Many of us would love it. Twice the attention, twice as many cards. But then again, twice the reminder of another year older - so perhaps not!

Paddington, the bear from Darkest Peru of marmalade loving fame, is the only other dignitary we know of with a second birthday. He celebrates on June 25 and December 25 to be precise. But remember, he's not real.

So is the royal monarch's double celebration as we suggested, merely a ploy to get extra presents?

Not at all, say the historians.

The curious decision to give the head of the royal family two birthdays dates back to the early 20th century during the time of Edward VII.

Edward VII's real birthday was on November 9, but he marked the occasion officially throughout his reign in May or June for practical reasons

After all, this is England and the drizzly wet winter months are hardly the time for parades and outdoor celebrations. And what monarch's birthday is complete without those?

But apparently, it is not just winter that can cause royal headaches.

Queen Victoria's private secretary once wrote that the August birthday of William IV had not always been "a convenient time of year for official celebrations".

Too hot for all that braid and finery perhaps?

Subsequent monarchs after Edward VII helpfully had birthdays at more convenient times of the year, but the Queen's father King George VI reintroduced the tradition.

He was born on December 14 and selected June as the month for his official birthday in the hope of brighter seasonal weather.

At first it was always held on the second Thursday of that month, but in 1959 he changed it to the second Saturday for convenience.

The Queen, who will be 80 on her real birthday of April 21, has continued the tradition, also celebrating an official birthday in June each year.

It can now be on either the first or the second, and sometimes the third, Saturday of the month.

The Queen usually spends her actual birthday privately at Windsor with friends and family.

Her official birthday is always marked in the same way with the Trooping of the Colour and a fly-past over Buckingham Palace.

This year, the Queen's official 80th birthday will be celebrated on June 17. Which do you think she enjoys most?