Britain is marking King Charles’s official birthday today with the spectacular Trooping the Colour ceremony, bringing together thousands of spectators in Whitehall for one of the most anticipated events in the royal calendar.
This year’s parade represents the fourth time the monarch has presided over the celebration since taking the throne.
Members of the Royal Family are gathering alongside crowds to witness the display, which unites all three branches of the armed forces in honour of the King’s anniversary.
The 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards have been granted the privilege of trooping their colour at this year’s event, continuing a rotation among the five Regiments of Foot Guards.
Later in the day, the Royal Family will assemble on the Buckingham Palace balcony for the customary RAF fly-past.
The Grenadier Guards hold the distinction of being the British Army’s most senior infantry regiment, with origins stretching back nearly four centuries.
Formed in Belgium in 1656, the regiment was originally established to serve as a personal bodyguard for Prince Charles during his exile, who would later become King Charles II.
A decade after its founding, the unit was redesignated as the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards.
The prestigious ‘Grenadier’ title was bestowed upon the regiment in 1815 following their role at the Battle of Waterloo, resulting in the formal designation “1st or Grenadier Regiment of Foot Guards”.
The privilege of Trooping the Colour rotates annually through the five Foot Guards regiments.
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Throughout its distinguished history, the regiment has accumulated 78 Battle Honours and produced 14 recipients of the Victoria Cross.
The colours being paraded today were personally presented to the regiment by the King at Buckingham Palace Gardens on Tuesday.
The ceremony itself traces its roots to the early eighteenth century or even earlier, when battalion colours were paraded along the ranks to familiarise soldiers with these crucial battlefield markers.
From 1748 onwards, this military tradition became intertwined with celebrations of the Sovereign’s official birthday, a practice that continues to this day.
The King’s own connection to the parade spans decades, with his first attendance occurring in 1951 when he was just three years old, travelling by carriage alongside his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and his aunt, Princess Margaret.
His Majesty’s active participation in the ceremony began in 1975, when he rode in the parade for the first time as Colonel of the Welsh Guards.
Britain is marking King Charles’s official birthday today with the spectacular Trooping the Colour ceremony, bringing together thousands of spectators in Whitehall for one of the most anticipated events in the royal calendar.
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GETTY
The privilege of Trooping the Colour rotates annually through the five Foot Guards regiments.
Several senior members of the Royal Family will participate in the parade on horseback, riding mounts with a special connection to the Crown.
The Prince of Wales will be astride Darby, a horse presented by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 2019 to commemorate both the 80th anniversary of the RCMP’s breeding programme and the 50th anniversary of their first gift horse, Burmese.
The Princess Royal will ride Noble, which was given to the King in 2023 and carried His Majesty during that year’s birthday parade.
The Duke of Edinburgh will be mounted on Sir John, a horse presented to Queen Elizabeth II in 2016 to mark her 90th birthday.
Later in the day, the Royal Family will assemble on the Buckingham Palace balcony for the customary RAF fly-past.
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The RCMP’s association with the Royal Family dates back to the late Queen’s Coronation in 1953, with the Mounties subsequently presenting Her Late Majesty with eight horses throughout her reign.
The Princess of Wales will travel in the Ascot Landau, a historic four-wheeled carriage with a convertible roof that can be lowered.
This elegant vehicle is one of five such landaus maintained by the Royal Mews, having been acquired during Queen Victoria’s reign.
The carriage is primarily associated with the Royal Meeting at Ascot, where it features prominently in the annual procession, though it also appears at state visits, royal weddings and other ceremonial occasions.
This year’s parade represents the fourth time the monarch has presided over the celebration since taking the throne.
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GETTY
The Ascot Landau is typically drawn by the renowned Windsor Greys, horses that have fulfilled ceremonial duties for successive monarchs and their families since the Victorian era.
These distinctive grey horses continue to play a significant role in the nation’s ceremonial life, maintaining a tradition spanning more than a century.
The King, serving as Colonel-in-Chief of the Household Division, will don the Grenadier Guards tunic and forage cap in keeping with the tradition of wearing the uniform of whichever regiment is trooping their colour.
His Majesty’s uniform bears the cypher of Queen Elizabeth II, reflecting his former role as Personal Aide-de-Camp to the late monarch.
Among the decorations adorning the King’s uniform are the Most Noble Order of the Garter Sash with the Lesser George, alongside medals including the Coronation Medal from 1953 and jubilee medals spanning seven decades.
The Prince of Wales will appear in the Full Ceremonial Guard Order of the Welsh Guards, while the Duke of Edinburgh wears the Scots Guards ceremonial dress.
The Princess Royal, as Colonel of The Blues and Royals, will wear the full mounted ceremonial uniform of that regiment and carry the Gold Stick as Gold Stick-in-Waiting.
