King Charles, who is undergoing cancer treatment and continuing his recovery, has made a decision on how he will take part in Trooping the Colour next month
King Charles is to take part in the Trooping the Colour ceremony next month, following speculation about his role.
The annual event, which is the Sovereign’s birthday parade, will take place on June 15 in London and traditionally involves the Royal Family gathering on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after a display of pomp and military pageantry.
It was previously speculated whether Charles – who recently returned to public-facing duties while still receiving treatment for a form of cancer – would ride a horse in the ceremony. It is now understood the King, 75, will inspect the soldiers from a carriage rather than horseback.
Charles will conduct the reviews while seated in an Ascot Landau carriage with Queen Camilla. There are five Ascot Landau carriages, which are used every year for the monarch’s procession during the Royal Meeting at Ascot, kept by the Royal Mews.
The change from last year’s ceremony, where Charles inspected the troops on horseback, reflects earlier guidance by Buckingham Palace when it was highlighted that each public-facing engagement by the King would be reviewed and adaptations made where advised by doctors.
In a rare update on the Princess of Wales’ schedule, as she continued to undergo her own treatment for cancer, the Palace also confirmed today that she would not be taking the salute at the Colonel’s Review, the traditional rehearsal on June 8 for Trooping the Colour.
The Princess will instead be replaced by Lieutenant General James Bucknall, KCB, CBE, who has attended every King’s Birthday Parade since 2009 when he was appointed Colonel of the Coldstream Guards, having served as a Coldstream Guards Officer for more than 45 years.
The celebrations, which take place on Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall, had been under threat due to the General Election, with the Royal Family currently not taking part in engagements that would distract from the campaign. But the huge military event is definitely going ahead.
The day will be topped off with a balcony appearance by the royals and a stunning flypast by the RAF. It is not clear whether Princess Kate will appear alongside the other members at the ceremony, although Palace sources have previously said that the future queen may decide to attend some royal events if she is well and able at the time.
In years gone by, the late Queen used to invite all members of her extended family onto the balcony at Trooping the Colour. However, at the last Trooping, the balcony was limited to working royals only, meaning there was no place for the King’s younger disgraced brother Prince Andrew nor his estranged son Prince Harry.
Royal sources said other members of the Royal Family were expected to attend in line with last year, where only working members of family were present. That would mean there will be no place on the palace balcony for members of the family including Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice or the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh’s children Lady Louise Windsor, 20, and James, the Earl of Wessex, 16.
The annual event of Trooping of 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 display.
Meanwhile, it has also been confirmed by Buckingham Palace that King Charles is to take part in the main Trooping the Colour ceremony next month and will inspect the soldiers from a carriage.
The monarch, who has also been undergoing treatment for cancer since February, will not be riding a horse at his official birthday parade on June 15, but will instead conduct the review of troops taking part while seated in an Ascot Landau carriage with Queen Camilla.
