For Charles III it’s the first time as a king: the birthday parade through London. Although his birthday is not in June.
For the first time since his accession to the throne, Britain’s King Charles III. (74) was honored with the “Trooping the Color” birthday parade on Saturday. The procession of 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 members of military bands through central London began just after 11 a.m. CEST (10 a.m. local time). Tens of thousands had gathered along the route to take a look at the spectacle and the royals attending.
The king and other members of the royal family left the palace on horseback or in a carriage and joined the procession.
Charles rode in a red uniform and a bearskin hat in front of his son and heir to the throne Prince William (40), his sister Princess Anne (72) and his youngest brother Prince Edward (59).
Queen Camilla (75), also in a red uniform, followed in a carriage, as did Princess Kate (41) in a green outfit and Kate and William’s three children: Prince George (9), Princess Charlotte (8) and Prince Louis (5) .
The route leads from Buckingham Palace via the straight boulevard “The Mall” and from there to the parade ground at Horse Guards Parade, where the king inspects his troops.
Parade uniforms and bearskin hats
The event is characterized by the foot soldiers of the Household Division – the royal bodyguard – with their red parade uniforms and bearskin hats. The trail then follows the same route back to the palace.
The conclusion and climax of “Trooping the Color” is always the overflight of military planes and helicopters from the Royal Air Force over Buckingham Palace, while the royal family waves to the crowd from the balcony. This year, the air show was supposed to be even bigger than usual, because it was drastically reduced due to bad weather at King Charles’ coronation on May 6th.
“Trooping the Color” always takes place in June, regardless of the monarch’s actual birthday (Charles on November 14; Queen Elizabeth II once on April 21), because that’s when the weather is usually at its best in England. Despite the clouds, it was dry in London on Saturday and not quite as hot as in the previous days, when the thermometer showed almost 30 degrees. The tradition goes back to 1760.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
