This Saturday, 17th June, the Trooping the Colour will take place. King Charles III will ride on horseback at the ceremony, marking the first time that the reigning Monarch has ridden at Trooping the Colour since Queen Elizabeth II in 1986.
Find out all you need to know about Trooping the Colour here…
What is Trooping the Colour?
Trooping of the Colour marks the official birthday of the British monarch. Also known as the ‘King’s Birthday Parade’, Trooping the Colour is a military parade containing 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians. The monarch’s official birthday is celebrated in June as it is deemed a warmer summer month. However, the King’s birthday is actually in November.
What you can expect:
Starting at Buckingham Palace, the parade will travel down The Mall to the Horse Guard’s Parade with members of the Royal Family either on horseback or in carriages. King Charles III will then be greeted by a royal salute and he will begin inspecting the troops. The ‘colour’s being trooped are then carried down the ranks and displayed to the soldiers. Afterwards, the troops will be led back to Buckingham Palace by His Majesty for another salute which marks the end of the ceremony. The King and other members of the Royal Family will join on the balcony to watch a fly-past.
‘Colour’ is the name given to the flags which represent the different British Army regiments. The flags look different depending on the colours and symbols of each regiment, helping soldiers to spot their unit easily during battle. A different regiment’s colour is trooped each year at the Trooping the Colour ceremony, with this year being the colours of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards.
Roles of the Royal Family:
This year, King Charles III will be appointed as the Colonel-in-Chief of the Regiments of Household Division. There will also be three newly appointed Colonels within the Foot Guards. Colonel of the Grenadier Guards will be the responsibility of the Queen Consort, Colonel of the Welsh Guards will be the responsibility of Prince William, and the Colonel of the Irish Guards will be the responsibility of the Princess of Wales.
The remaining Colonelcies of the other Regiments within the Household Division will remain the same as previous years. Therefore, Colonel of Blue and Royals will be the Princess Royal, Colonel of the Scots Guards will be the Duke of Kent, Colonel of the Life Guards will be Lieutenant General Sir Ed Smyth-Osbourne, and Colonel of the Coldstream Guards will be Lieutenant General Sir James Bucknall.
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