Preparations for Trooping the Colour are confirmed and are taking place alongside the planning of garden parties at Buckingham Palace.
The occasion, also referred to as the King’s Birthday Parade, traditionally features the royal family, including King Charles, Queen Camilla, and the Prince and Princess of Wales, gathering on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following a display of grandeur and military spectacle.
Recent reports unveiled that the royals have deferred certain commitments “which might seem to shift focus or divert attention from the election campaign,” following Rishi Sunak’s sudden announcement of a summer General Election slated for July 4. Consequently, both the King and Prince William postponed engagements last week.
However, it has now been confirmed by the Army that Trooping the Colour will go ahead on June 15 despite the general election campaign.
It follows garden parties at Buckingham Palace and the King and Queen’s D-Day 80th anniversary appearances in Portsmouth and Normandy in June, which are also expected to go ahead as scheduled. It is unclear whether the Princess of Wales, who is undergoing chemotherapy after a cancer diagnosis, will attend.
On Tuesday, the British Army announced that almost a thousand soldiers and around 240 horses from the Household Division will perform a “khaki rehearsal” of the parade in London on Thursday.
The rehearsal will take place on Horse Guards Parade in front of an audience of more than 1,000 people as a test for soldiers and horses who have yet to rehearse publicly.
Lieutenant Colonel James Shaw, the Brigade Major of the Household Division, will confirm the troops are of the required standard before they perform at The Major General’s Review on Saturday, The Colonel’s Review on June 8 and Trooping the Colour on June 15.
The Army said the Number 9 Company, Irish Guards, has been chosen to troop their colour, which means the regiment will march its ceremonial flag through the ranks at the King’s official birthday event.
The Band of the Irish Guards with the Pipes and Drums will march the troops onto the parade ground, led by regimental mascot Turlough Mor, an Irish Wolfhound also known as Seamus. The music is set to have a “distinctly Irish theme”, including Celtic folk tunes and new music composed for the parade.
The annual Trooping the Colour has marked the official birthday of the British sovereign for more than 260 years. Charles marked his first Trooping as King last year, riding onto Horse Guards in Whitehall as the nation’s head of state six weeks after his coronation.