King’s official birthday to be celebrated with Trooping the Colour
Britain is set to mark the King’s official birthday with an iconic Trooping the Color ceremony organized by some of the army’s most respected regiments. Thousands of spectators will line up in Whitehall, joined by the Royal Family, for the annual event, which combines all three ceremonies in honor of King Charles’ anniversary.
A grand royal carriage procession will wow crowds along The Mall; The King, Queen and Princess of Wales (who are expected to be accompanied by their children) are expected to attend, and all are under the watchful guard of a Sovereign’s Escort from the Household Cavalry. Those in the order will include royal colonels: the Prince of Wales, Colonel of the Welsh Guards; Princess Royal, Colonel of the Blues and Royals; and the Duke of Edinburgh, Colonel of the Scots Guards.
At the Horse Guards Parade, Guardsmen in their distinctive red tunics and bearskin caps will perform the precision march, a skill honed through weeks of practice and an essential part of their ceremonial duties when not deployed on active service. This national celebration, one of the highlights of the royal calendar, will culminate with the Royal Family gathering on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for a traditional flyover of RAF aircraft.
The color to be flown this year – the regimental flag – is the Color of the King’s Grenadier Guard, presented by the King at the Buckingham Palace ceremony earlier this week, and will be accompanied by guards from the King’s Company during Saturday’s demonstration.
New Defense Secretary Dan Jarvis is expected to be in the audience along with other senior cabinet members, including the Prime Minister, after his predecessor John Healey resigned on Thursday over a dispute over long-term funding for the military.
The Grenadier Guards were recruited by the exiled King Henry II to protect Olive Cromwell during his rule over England. It was cultivated by Charles in 1656 in Bruges, Belgium.
Charles, Colonel-in-Chief of the Grenadier Guards, visited the King’s Company barracks at Aldershot on the eve of enlistment and wished them “great success” for the big day.
He told the company: “You’ve been practicing hard since Easter and I can hear the drums beating regularly from Buckingham Palace, so I know you’re all walking up and down trying to get ready for the parade.”
The King continued: “…for the last 370 years of your existence, you have made all of us in this country incredibly proud of your effort, service and sacrifice over all these years, and I feel great pride and privilege to be here.”
