Charles II was born at St James’s Palace on 29 May 1630, the son of Charles I and Henrietta Maria.

At the time, his birth was a dynastic event. He was the eldest surviving son of the king, born into the Stuart line when monarchy still appeared to be England’s settled form of rule. Such births were about continuity: a child who could carry the crown into the next generation.

That expectation did not last. The civil wars shattered royal authority. Charles I was tried and executed in 1649, the monarchy was abolished, and his son spent years in exile. Charles II was king in name before he was king in practice.

The date later gained a second meaning. On 29 May 1660, his thirtieth birthday, Charles II entered London as the restored king. The same day that had once marked the birth of a royal heir now marked the public return of the monarchy after its collapse.

For a birth entry, that is the useful point. Charles II’s birth did not explain the Restoration, but the date joined the two events: succession in 1630, return in 1660.