What is Trooping The Colour and why it means King Charles gets two birthdays
Trooping the Colour returns to London on Saturday, 15 June, with the Royal Family set to take to the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the Flypast.
The spectacle will feature 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians parading down The Mall and at Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall, before the appearance by the royals.
This iconic celebration showcases British military pomp and pageantry on a grand scale. Its origins can be traced back centuries, with a version of the parade believed to have first taken place during King Charles II's reign.
Trooping the Colour, marking the sovereign's official birthday, has been a consistent tradition for over 260 years. It became an annual event during King George II's reign and has undergone several changes since then.
For instance, King Edward VII moved the celebration to June to enjoy better weather, despite his actual birthday being in November, reports MyLondon. The tradition carries on to this day, with sovereigns celebrating a second birthday in the summer if they were born in the winter months.
This means that King Charles, who turns 76 on November 14, will celebrate on Saturday with the royal event.
As per tradition, the parade is meticulously timed, with the first guards departing Buckingham Palace at precisely 10am. Each year, the six regiments of the Foot Guards are bestowed the honour of presenting their Colour (otherwise known as the flag) to the sovereign, and this year, it's the turn of the 1st Battalion of the Irish Guards.
Once the parade has drawn to a close, the royals will prepare to head back up The Mall and prepare for their appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony to watch the RAF flypast.
On Saturday, 8 June, the Princess of Wales, 42, broke her silence on missing the Colonel's Review rehearsal for the Trooping the Colour, which took place that day, in a heartfelt letter.
Kate was instead be replaced by Lieutenant General James Bucknall at the Colonel's Review, which is the official rehearsal for Trooping The Colour, scheduled to take place on 15 June. The Irish Guards shared a photograph of the letter Kate penned to them on their official X account.
The letter read: "I wanted to write to let you know how proud I am of the entire regiment ahead of the Colonel's Review and Trooping the Colour. I appreciate everyone Trooping this year has been practising for months, and dedicating many hours to ensure their uniforms and drill are immaculate.
"Being your Colonel remains a great honour, and I am very sorry that I am unable to take the salute at this year's Colonel Review. Please pass my apologies to the whole Regiment, however, I do hope I can represent you all again soon. Please send my very best wishes and good luck to all involved."
Kate finished the letter by handwriting the Irish Guards' motto Quis Separabit, which means 'Who shall separate us?' and signed it 'Colonel Catherine'.
It has yet to be confirmed if Kate will join her husband, Prince William, their children, and the rest of the Royal Family on the balcony on Saturday, after stepping away from the spotlight following her cancer diagnosis earlier this year.
