Trooping the Colour is taking place in London today, and the royals are no doubt excited for the celebration. Every year, the event, one of the biggest annual military ceremonies, is held to celebrate the monarch’s official birthday. Members of the Royal Family appear either on horseback or in carriages.
At the start of the ceremony, the King is greeted by a Royal Salute on Horse Guards Parade and a 41 Gun Salute fired by The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery from The Green Park. The King then inspects the troops, and a salute is taken by the Royal Colonel of the regiment chosen to troop their Colour that year.
With this year's parade, Queen Camilla will take the salute as she is the Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, who are leading the parade. After the military parade back to Buckingham Palace, the King and Queen then lead members of the Royal Family out onto the Buckingham Palace balcony to watch the RAF Flypast, including the Red Arrows, and wave to the crowds gathered below.
The King and Queen are always present at the event, alongside other senior royals, including Prince William and Princess Catherine. They usually attend with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. Princess Anne and her husband, Sir Timothy Laurence, also usually attend, along with Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie.
But, do you think non-working royals should take part in Trooping the Colour? Vote below here.
During King Charles’s reign, it is mainly working royals and their children who take part in the celebrations and join him on the Buckingham Palace balcony. This is believed to be aligned with the King’s slimmed-down monarchy approach. However, Trooping the Colour now is slightly different to under Queen Elizabeth II’s reign when non-working royals such as Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie and Zara Tindall used to appear on the balcony some years. It is unlikely that these non-working royals would make a balcony appearance during King Charles’s reign.
