With King Charles’ official birthday celebrations set to kick off on Saturday, here’s everything you need to know about Trooping the Colour 2025 – including what royals are expected to attend, how to watch, and where the longstanding tradition comes from
One of the most-loved royal events of the year is fast approaching – Trooping the Colour. The sovereign’s birthday parade is set to take place in London at Horse Guards Parade on Saturday, with thousands of royal fans expected to flood the Mall to celebrate the important event.
With a huge military event and procession kicking off the celebrations, 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 2025…
What is Trooping the Colour?
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.
During the parade, 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.
What is the significance of Trooping the Colour?
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.
Guards taking part are drawn from the Regiments of the Sovereign’s Household Troops, which has become the practice for Regiments of Foot Guards to troop their Colour in turn.
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.
When will Trooping the Colour take place, and how long will it last?
Trooping the Colour will take place on Saturday, June 14, 2025, with the royal family first expected to make an appearance in the procession to leave Buckingham Palace at approximately 10:45am.
The end of the celebrations will be marked with the RAF flypast which is expected to take place at 1pm. King Charles is one of many monarchs whose Trooping the Colour celebrations has not coincided with their actual birthday.
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 be at Trooping the Colour 2025?
Nearly all members of the Royal Family appear at Trooping the Colour – it’s usually one of the rare public appearances made by young royals Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Royal sources said other members of the Royal Family are expected to attend in line with last year, where only working members of the family were present. 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. 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, at the 2024 Trooping, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh and Lady Louise Windsor all made an appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
Will King Charles or Prince William ride a horse at Trooping the Colour?
At last year’s Trooping the Colour, King Charles opted to ride in the royal carriage with Camilla: a choice that was made to make the King more safe and comfortable after his cancer treatment.
While it has yet to be officially confirmed, it has been reported that the King will once again join Queen Camilla in a carriage for the procession up the Mall.
Despite the King opting to ride in the carriage, Prince William, as Colonel of the Welsh Guards, is expected to join Princess Anne and Prince Edward on horseback for a second year.
What time will the RAF flypast by the Red Arrows take place, and where will I be able to see the planes?
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 anyone go to Trooping the Colour?
Tickets to watch Trooping the Colour from the grandstands at Horse Guards Parade were allocated by ballot, with those lucky enough to receive tickets having already been informed.
While it is now too late to get tickets to this year’s event, 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 side lines is encouraged to get there by 9am. Meanwhile, Trooping the Colour is usually broadcast live on BBC1 from 10:30am.
