The British Royal Family marked the first trooping of the Colour Parade of the new reign today. The Trooping the Colour parade is the annual birthday celebration of the British Monarch and it was King Charles III’s first Trooping the Colour after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022. Last year’s event was part of the late Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations. Today marked many firsts of the modern British Royal History. Since 1951, it was the first parade celebrating a King’s birthday. After 1986, it was the first parade when a Monarch rode a horse with the troops during the Parade.
The King, when a young Prince Charles, together with his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, and aunt, Princess Margaret returning to Buckingham Palace after #TroopingTheColour in 1951. https://t.co/1d0Rmms3WR pic.twitter.com/iQBxDg4MPX
— Royal Collection Trust (@RCT) June 17, 2023
Charles attended his first Trooping the Colour in 1951, aged three, and first rode in the parade on horseback as Colonel of the Welsh Guards in 1975.
The Princess of Wales, Catherine, looked absolutely elegant in a green Andrew GN coat dress. The colour of the code was a sartorial node to her new role of Colonel of Irish Guards that she received in December 2022. This was the first time we saw Catherine, The Princess of Wales wearing something from The Singapore-born, Paris-based designer.
Princess Catherine paired the coat with a matching Philip Treacy hat and Princess Diana’s Diamond and Sapphire earrings. The coat and the hat featured matching sapphire buttons. Catherine topped the coat with her Cartier Shamrock Brooch.
The Prince of Wales, the new Colonel of Welsh guards led the troops during the birthday celebrations. He was joined by the King himself, Princess Royal and The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward. The Duke of Edinburgh rode in the parade as Colonel of the London Guards for the first time. He has been Royal Colonel of the London Regiment since 2011, which was re-designated the London Guards last year.
As the King was riding on the horse, since 1986, the carriage procession followed the horses. The procession follows the Monarch – if the Sovereign is riding in the carriage, members of the Royal family followed that carriage. If the Monarch is riding on a horse then members of the royal family follow that horse. King Charles III was riding a horse named Nobel – a gift from The Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The Princess of Wales was riding in the carriage with Queen Camilla, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. While The Duchess of Edinburgh rode in a second carriage with Sir Timothy Laurence.
New Brothers of The New Generation of #British #RoyalFamily #PrinceGeorge and #PrinceLouis pic.twitter.com/Xwr6NilAB7
— RegalFille (@RegalFille) June 17, 2023
The King received the royal salute as the Colonel-in-Chief of the Household Division’s regiments while the thousands are watching the event at Horse Guard’s Parade. Over 1400 officers and men were on parade, together with two hundred horses; over four hundred musicians from ten bands and corps of drums marched and played as one. Some 113 words of command were given by the Officer in Command of the Parade.
The parade route extends from Buckingham Palace along The Mall to Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall and back again.
Following the parade, troops fired a 41-gun salute in Green Park to mark the King’s official birthday – while from the Tower of London, the Honourable Artillery Company fired 62 volleys.
The day ended with Royal Family making a balcony appearance at the Buckingham Palace. The Buckingham Palace balcony appearance is one of the most famous balcony events in the world. With time we have seen a number of Royals appearing on the balcony.
This year the Royals on the balcony were The King, The Queen, The Prince and Princess of Wales with their three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Princess Royal and Sir Timothy Laurence, The Duke of Kent and The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. The reasoning behind having the working royals on the balcony make sense given the Royal circus created by two rogue Princes – Andrew and Harry but that took the fun element out of the whole event.
The day ended with a colourful flypast by the Royal Air Force.
Royals on balcony and crowds outside Buckingham Palace watch Red Arrows join flypast marking King Charles’s official birthday
⬇️ Follow live https://t.co/6x1fqJzEpz pic.twitter.com/nJdkpFqsDD
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) June 17, 2023
What The Princess of Wales wore at the 2023 Trooping the Colour
- Coat: Andrew GN Coat Dress
- Hat: Philip Treacy hat
- Earrings: Princess Diana’s Diamond and Sapphire earrings
- Brooch: Cartier Shamrock Brooch
- Clutch: L.K. Bennett Dora green suede clutch
- Shoes: Aquazzura Purist Pumps (Thanks to Gabi on Twitter for the id)
