Trooping the Colour will take place this year on Saturday 17th June. Buckingham Palace has announced that The King will ride on horseback at the Trooping the Colour ceremony. This will mark the first time that the reigning Monarch has ridden at Trooping the Colour since 1986, when Queen Elizabeth II last rode.

Here is everything you need to know about Trooping the Colour…

What is Trooping the Colour?

For over 260 years, the Trooping of the Colour has marked the official birthday of the British monarch. Although King Charles III’s birthday is actually in November, and Her Late Majesty’s was in April, their official birthday is usually celebrated in June; a warmer summer month. Also known as the ‘King’s Birthday Parade’, the Trooping the Colour is essentially a military parade. It consists of 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians who all come together each June and parade in one of the most esteemed military displays in the world.

What will happen on the day?

The parade begins at Buckingham Palace and travels down The Mall to the Horse Guard’s Parade with members of the Royal Family in attendance on horseback and in carriages. Once they reach The Mall, the monarch is greeted by a royal salute from the soldiers and then the King will inspect the troops. Afterwards, the ‘colours’ being trooped will be carried down the ranks and shown to the soldiers. His Majesty will then lead the troops back to Buckingham Palace for another salute, marking the end of the trooping ceremony. To conclude the day, King Charles III and other members of the Royal Family will join on the balcony to watch a fly-past by the Royal Air Force.

What does ‘colour’ represent?

‘Colour’ is the name given to the flags which represent the different British Army regiments. Depending on the colours and symbols of each regiment, the flags look different, so the army use these for the soldiers to spot their unit on the battlefield easily. This was an easy way to keep everyone together and to do this, officers would march up and down in front of the troops (known as ‘trooping’), waving their flags (known as ‘colours’), so that everyone could see which flag belonged to which regiment. Each year at Trooping the Colour, a different regiment’s colours are trooped, and this year will be the colours of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards. King Charles III was Colonel of the Welsh Guards for more than 50 years before handing it over to Prince William in December last year, and also held the title of Prince of Wales for almost 65 years.

Which members of the Royal Family will be at Trooping the Colour and what will their roles be?

King Charles III will be appointed as the Colonel-in-Chief of the Regiments of Household Division. Each Regiment has a Colonel who is either a member of the Royal Family or a senior officer. This year, there will be three newly appointed Colonels within the Foot Guards; the Queen Consort will be Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, the Prince of Wales will be Colonel of the Welsh Guards, and the Princess of Wales will be Colonel of the Irish Guards.

The remaining Colonelcies of the other Regiments within the Household Division will remain the same as previous years, which involves the Princess Royal as the Colonel of Blue and Royals, the Duke of Kent as the Colonel of the Scots Guards, Lieutenant General Sir Ed Smyth-Osbourne as the Colonel of the Life Guards, and Lieutenant General Sir James Bucknall as the Colonel of the Coldstream Guards.

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