Trooping the Colour: A Grand Celebration of the King’s First Official Birthday as Sovereign
Trooping the Colour, an annual event that commemorates the monarch’s official birthday is set to be especially grand this year as it features every regiment of the Household Division, a spectacle not seen in over 30 years. The ceremony, dating back over 200 years, will showcase an impressive display of pomp and pageantry, with hundreds of soldiers, horses, and musicians parading down The Mall to the Horse Guards Parade.
Curious to know more about Trooping the Colour?
Here’s everything you need to know about this historic ceremony taking place later this month.
What is Trooping the Colour?
Trooping the Colour is a time-honored ceremony that has celebrated the British sovereign’s official birthday for the past 260 years. It is a military event involving over 1,400 parading soldiers, 200 horses, and 400 musicians marching in procession from Buckingham Palace to the Horse Guards Parade in St James’s Park.
When and where does it take place?
Trooping the Colour is scheduled for Saturday, June 17, starting at 10 am. The parade route stretches from Buckingham Palace along The Mall to Horse Guards Parade before returning to the palace.
What can you expect on the day?
During the official parade, the King will be welcomed with a Royal salute and will inspect the troops. Following a musical performance by the massed bands, the regimental color, carried by the Welsh Guards this year, will be paraded down the ranks. The Foot Guards and the Household Cavalry will then march past the King, followed by the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery. Afterward, the King will lead his Guards back to Buckingham Palace and take the salute from a dais. To conclude the event, the Royal Horse Artillery will fire a 41 Gun Salute in Green Park, followed by a fly-past by the Royal Air Force as the King joins other members of the Royal family on the palace balcony.
Why is it called Trooping the Colour?
Trooping the Colour derives its name from a historical parade aimed at helping soldiers recognize their regiment before the battle. The regimental flags, known as “Colours,” displayed the uniform colors worn by soldiers from different units. These colors served as rallying points on the battlefield, ensuring troops could regroup easily. Young officers would march with the Colours held high, displaying them regularly for troops to familiarize themselves. This tradition gave rise to the term “trooping.”
This year, the Welsh Guards, for which the King served as Colonel for over 50 years before passing the responsibility to his son in December 2022, have the honor of trooping the color. It follows their significant participation in the King’s Coronation in May, as well as their recent return from intensive jungle training in Belize and Jamaica.
To keep the parade on schedule, the music played will have a distinct Welsh theme, with new compositions created specifically for the occasion by members of the Band of the Welsh Guards.
How can you watch the ceremony?
The entire event will be broadcasted by the BBC for those who wish to watch from home. If you prefer witnessing the spectacle in person, you can stand along The Mall or at the edge of St James’s Park, overlooking Horse Guards Parade. Arriving by 9 am is recommended as the event is scheduled to commence around 10 am. Seated stands around Horse Guards Parade require tickets, which are allocated through a ballot system, and the public can apply for up to four tickets at £30 each.
Who will participate in the ceremony?
This year, for the first time in over 30 years, every unit of the Household Division will take part in the ceremony. The participating regiments include the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Scots Guards, Irish Guards, Welsh Guards, London Guards (Army Reserve), as well as The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment. Given that senior members of the Royal family typically hold the position of Colonel-in-Chief in these regiments, it is expected that many of them will also participate in the procession.
Among those likely to be involved in the procession are the King and Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Princess Royal, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Duke of Kent. Each regiment will be accompanied by their respective Colonels-in-Chief, as follows:
- The Blues and Royals: The Princess Royal
- Grenadier Guards: The Queen
- Irish Guards: The Princess of Wales
- Welsh Guards: The Prince of Wales
- Scots Guards: The Duke of Kent
- London Guards: The Duke of Edinburgh
- The Life Guards: Lieutenant General Sir Edward Smyth-Osbourne KCVO CBE
- Coldstream Guards: Lieutenant General Sir James Bucknall KCB CBE
Which Royals will attend?
All working members of the Royal family will be present, with some joining the procession on horseback and others in carriages. The attendance of non-working members, however, remains uncertain, although Prince Andrew may attend without any formal role. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not expected to be in attendance, as they are likely to remain at their home in California. Last year, they participated in Trooping the Colour along with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, marking their first public royal event since stepping back from their roles in 2020. Prince Harry briefly returned to the UK for his father’s Coronation and is currently in the country for a High Court hacking case.
Will there be a fly-past?
Yes, a fly-past by the Royal Air Force is scheduled to take place around 1 pm. The Royal family will observe the spectacle from the balcony of Buckingham Palace. While the exact route is yet to be disclosed, it is expected to follow a similar path to the original fly-past planned for the King’s Coronation on May 6, which was scaled down due to unfavorable weather conditions. The initial plan featured 68 aircraft in 14 separate waves, including Spitfires from the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. However, the revised event involved helicopters and the Red Arrows, lasting approximately two minutes and thirty seconds. Aircraft like the F-35B Lightning jets and the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft did not participate due to safety concerns.
Is it King Charles’s actual birthday?
No, King Charles’s actual birthday falls on November 14. However, Trooping the Colour has traditionally been held in June. Following in the footsteps of Queen Elizabeth, who celebrated her “official” birthday at Trooping the Colour after her actual birthday on April 21, King Charles is maintaining this tradition. Despite turning 74 in November, Trooping the Colour holds significance in his annual celebrations. The origins of Trooping the Colour can be traced back to the reign of King Charles II in the seventeenth century. In 1748, it was officially designated as the parade to celebrate the monarch’s birthday, becoming an annual event from 1760 onward.
