The King has marked his official birthday with a grand ceremony highlighting the ceremonial skills of the British Army. Charles participated in the renowned Trooping the Colour event, which brought military pomp and pageantry to the heart of London.
Royal Attendance
The Princess of Wales, along with her children, joined the Queen and thousands of onlookers at Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall to witness the spectacle featuring some of the nation's most prestigious regiments. Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, eight, watched their grandfather from the first-floor window of the Duke of Wellington's former office, which overlooks the parade ground in central London.
Social and Ceremonial Event
Trooping the Colour serves as both a social occasion and a ceremonial event. Stands around Horse Guards Parade accommodated about 8,000 family members of the guards and officers on parade. Crowds gathered along The Mall to watch the royal family's carriage procession from Buckingham Palace. Charles and Camilla traveled in the middle of a Sovereign's Escort provided by the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment.
Royal Colonels on Horseback
Riding behind the King were the royal colonels: the Prince of Wales, Colonel of the Welsh Guards; the Princess Royal, Colonel of the Blues and Royals; and the Duke of Edinburgh, Colonel of the Scots Guards. The procession was led by the Band of the Household Cavalry, accompanied by two shire horses bearing solid silver kettle drums and musicians.
Military Participation
For the first time, the route was lined by personnel from all three military services, including units from the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, the 26 Engineer Regiment, the 16th and 4th Regiments Royal Artillery, the Royal Lancers, the RAF Regiment, and the Royal Navy.
The King's Inspection
The King's first duty was to inspect the troops. He was followed by the royal colonels—William, Anne, and Edward—as he traveled in a carriage past service personnel, with the Queen by his side. In summer sunshine, Charles's carriage passed the ranks of over a thousand guardsmen from the Grenadier, Scots, Irish, and Coldstream Guards regiments. The Welsh Guards were represented by their band, as their troops are on operational training.
The Colour
The colour, or regimental flag, being trooped this year is the King's Colour of the Grenadier Guards, presented by Charles earlier this week during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. It was escorted during Saturday's spectacle by guardsmen from the King's Company. The head of state always wears the uniform of the regiment that is trooping its colour, so Charles was dressed in a Grenadier Guards tunic and forage cap.
Camilla's Attire
Camilla honored her regiment with a red silk crepe Grenadier Guards uniform dress by Fiona Clare, a black beret with white plume by Philip Treacy, featuring her Grenadier Guards cap badge and a Grenadier Guards brooch on her shoulder.
Historical Background
In centuries past, colours, or flags, were carried or 'trooped' down the ranks so soldiers would recognize them on the battlefield. In the 18th century, guards from the royal palaces assembled daily on Horse Guards to 'troop the colours,' and it was around that time that the parade also began marking the sovereign's official birthday. The King's actual birthday is on November 14, when he will turn 78.
The Grenadier Guards are celebrating their 370th anniversary and have a close affinity with the monarch. They were raised in 1656 in Bruges, Belgium, by the exiled King Charles II to protect him during the period Oliver Cromwell ruled England. Since their formation, the guardsmen—known for their scarlet tunics and bearskin hats—have fought in every major conflict in British military history, from the 17th-century Battle of Tangiers to Blenheim, Waterloo, the Crimean War, both World Wars, and recent operations in Afghanistan. Today, the regiment consists of fighting soldiers who carry out a specialist light infantry role during operations and take part in high-profile ceremonial duties in the UK.
The Ceremony
During the ceremony, the colour was first trooped through the ranks of soldiers before the guardsmen marched past the King, first in slow time, then in quick time. Spectators enjoyed precision marching, with each guardsman having covered hundreds of miles in rehearsals. As the colours passed the royal dais, Charles, Camilla, and Kate stood, with the King saluting.
