King Charles’ official birthday celebrations, called Trooping the Colour, is set to take place in a few weeks time and it should see a huge turnout of royals enjoy the pomp and pageantry of the day
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Royal Family celebrate Trooping the Colour
After days of uncertainty, one of the most-loved royal events of the year has finally been given the go ahead.
Trooping the Colour, the sovereign’s birthday parade, is set to take place in London in just a few weeks time on June 15. The celebrations 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 and well as the parade, the day will be topped off with a balcony appearance by the royals and a stunning flypast by the RAF. Here’s everything we know about Trooping the Colour 2024…
What is Trooping the Colour?
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.
The royals will travel from Buckingham Palace down The Mall to Horse Guards Parade in a procession – either on horseback or in carriages. At Horse Guards, they then watch the military display before joining the procession back to Buckingham Palace once it is over.
After the parade, the royals then gather on the Palace balcony for a march-past and the fly-past by the RAF, which includes the Red Arrows, and will conclude the day’s celebrations.
When will Trooping the Colour take place?
Trooping the Colour will take place on Saturday, June 15, 2024. The event nearly always takes place in June to commemorate the monarch’s birthday – even though the King was actually born on November 14.
So why would the King wait so long between the two dates for his celebration? Well, it seems it’s down to the most British thing ever, the weather.
Edward VII, who reigned from 1901 to 1910, was also born in November – not the best time of year for a huge outdoor celebration – so held it in the summer instead.
The monarch after Edward VII – George V – helpfully had a birthday in June, but the Queen’s father, George VI, whose birthday was in December, reintroduced the tradition of an official birthday, which Elizabeth II, who had an April birthday, continued.
Which royals will be at Trooping the Colour?
Nearly all members of the Royal Family appear at Trooping the Colour- and it’s usually one of the rare public appearances made by young royals Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
However, with the Princess of Wales revealing her cancer diagnosis in March and undergoing preventative chemotherapy treatment, it is unclear if she will attend the event. It also comes as the regiment of which she is colonel, the Irish Guards, are trooping their colour this year.
Which royals will appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony at Trooping the Colour?
It has not been confirmed as yet by Buckingham Palace which royals will appear on the balcony for the RAF flypast.
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, with the same happening at King Charles’ Coronation last year. This meant there was no place for the King’s younger disgraced brother Prince Andrew nor his estranged son Prince Harry.
This means the likes of Princess Beatrice and Eugenie as well as Zara and Mike Tindall and Peter Phillips have not been seen on the balcony in recent years. However, recently, the royal cousins were called on to support Prince William when he hosted a palace garden party for his father – and went around chatting to the assembled guests.
And according to The Telegraph, this poses a question for the King ahead of the much-anticipated balcony appearance. Its royal editor Hannah Furness writes: “The Prince of Wales would be keen to extend similar invitations again, in the spirit of including the wider family, as his grandmother once did.
“The King, too, has seemed visibly buoyed by the company of his nieces and nephews, rarely looking happier than he did clasping Zara Tindall in a hug at the Royal Windsor Horse Show this month on his way back from cancer treatment. He must now decide what to do for this year’s Trooping the Colour, in which the state of the Royal Family will be captured in that all-important ‘balcony moment’ displaying who is in and who is out.”
Will King Charles ride a horse at Trooping the Colour?
At last year’s Trooping the Colour, Charles proudly joined the procession on horseback riding his trusted steed called Noble. It was the first time in over 35 years that a monarch had taken an active part riding in the ceremony.
However, with the King receiving a diagnosis for an unspecified type of cancer in February and still undergoing treatment, Charles may not take to his horse this year. According to The Times, he is likely to ride in a carriage from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade and back again.
Previously, Buckingham Palace said that any future engagements involving the King “will be adapted where necessary” to accommodate his recovery. A source told the publication: “The King is most likely to be taking part in Trooping via carriage this year but a final decision is yet to be made.”
What time will the RAF flypast by the Red Arrows take place?
The flypast by the RAF is set to take place at 1pm while members of the Royal Family watch from the Buckingham Palace balcony.
The route for the flypast, which includes the Red Arrows, is yet to be officially confirmed, but the Military Air Shows has revealed an air restrictions map which shows the expected official route. The proposed restrictions are in the vicinity of the North Sea, East Anglia, Essex and London, before flying over Buckingham Palace at 1pm.
Can you get tickets to Trooping the Colour?
Tickets to watch Trooping the Colour from the grandstands at Horse Guards Parade are allocated by ballot. People can apply for up to four tickets, with each costing £30.
However, it is now too late to get tickets for this year’s event as those lucky enough to come out of the ballot have already been informed.
How else can I watch Trooping the Colour?
For those without tickets, there are still ways to watch Trooping the Colour. For those wanting to see the action in person, spectators can gather near Buckingham Palace and on The Mall to see the royals in the procession and on the balcony.
The event kicks off at 10am and anybody wanting to watch from the sidelines is encouraged to get there by 9am. Meanwhile, Trooping the Colour is usually broadcast live on BBC1.
