What is Trooping the Colour, the ceremony that marks official birthday of British monarch?

This year’s Trooping the Colour featured a spectacular display with over 1,250 soldiers participating, including hundreds of guardsmen lined up to be inspected by the King from his carriage. A 41-gun salute was fired in honour of the King by the Troop Royal Horse Artillery.

The King’s official birthday celebration is both a social and ceremonial event, with around 8,000 spouses, girlfriends, and parents of the guardsmen and officers on parade filling the stands overlooking the parade ground.

This time, the event also marked Kate’s first public appearance since announcing her cancer diagnosis earlier this year. She travelled to the ceremony in the royal glass coach alongside her children, Prince George (10), Princess Charlotte (9), and Prince Louis (6).

What is Trooping the Colour?

Trooping the Colour is a ceremonial event performed annually in London to celebrate the official birthday of the British monarch. It is a significant event in the British military’s ceremonial calendar and has been an annual tradition since 1760.

The ceremony involves a military parade from Buckingham Palace and down The Mall to Horse Guard’s Parade in Whitehall, where the monarch inspects the troops of the Household Division, which includes over 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses, and 400 musicians. The event begins with the monarch’s arrival by carriage, followed by a royal salute, the inspection of the troops, and the procession of the Regimental Colour or flag, which is processed down the ranks of Foot Guards.

The ceremony concludes with a 41-gun salute in Green Park and a Royal Air Force flypast, watched by millions on television and in person. The event is also broadcast live on television and streamed online, making it a global spectacle.

The origins of Trooping the Colour date back to the 17th century, when regimental flags were used as rallying points on the battlefield. The name “Trooping the Colour” comes from the practice of officers marching up and down in front of the troops, waving their flags to identify which colours belonged to which regiment. Today, the ceremony is a celebration of the monarch’s official birthday and a display of the British military’s ceremonial prowess.