King Charles waved to the crowds who had lined the Mall as he left Buckingham Palace as part of his annual birthday parade alongside Queen Camilla in a carriage
The celebrations for King Charles’ birthday have begun, with thousands of eager fans lining the Mall to catch a glimpse of the royal family. King Charles and Queen Camilla kicked off Trooping the Colour by leading the procession to Horse Guards Parade, making their way there in a carriage.
Charles and Camilla waved to excited fans who had been waiting near Buckingham Palace since the early hours of the morning for a sighting of the monarch, as the King and Queen smiled and waved to onlookers.
The royal family travelled from Buckingham Palace to the Horse Guards Parade, where they watched the military display from the Major General’s office. They will return to the Palace for the RAF flypast.
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There was a major changes for the King at this year’s Trooping the Colour as he continues to undergo cancer treatment. He was not on horseback and instead travelled in a carriage for the procession from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade and back. The King will also pay tribute to the Air India plane crash victims during today’s ceremony.
After Charles rode in the parade was 2023, it was decided he would travel by carriage last year as it came just months after his cancer diagnosis and the start of his treatment.
Trooping the Colour in 2023 was the last time the King rode at the ceremony, which was the first time a monarch had ridden in the parade since Queen Elizabeth did in 1986. After the late Queen’s trusty horse retired, she travelled in a carriage from 1987 until her final appearance in 2022, when she took the salute from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
The annual event of Trooping the Colour has marked the official birthday of the King or Queen for more than 260 years. The ceremony involves hundreds of horses and soldiers carrying out complex battlefield drill manoeuvres to military music. More than 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians come together for the impressive display.
The very first Trooping the Colour is believed to have been performed during the reign of King Charles II, who was Monarch from 1660 to 1685. However, it wasn’t until 1748 that it was decided for the parade to mark the official birthday of the Sovereign, becoming an annual event after George III became King in 1760.
Although King Charles’ actual birthday falls on November 14, the practice was established long ago of marking an ‘Official Birthday’ of the Sovereign in the summer to stand a better chance of good weather for the parade.
