The birthday of King Charles III was officially honored at Buckingham Palace Saturday at Trooping the Colour, which featured a spectacular parade, carriage procession, and fly past involving the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team.
The King, who rode to the parade in a carriage, was joined by Queen Camilla, Prince William and Kate Middleton, and their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, always the star of the royal family’s public appearances.
Prince George and Prince Louis wore matching ties and suits and waved to the crowds as they travelled in the carriage procession with their mother and sister.
The Princess of Wales, who attended the Trooping ceremony last year while undergoing a course of preventative chemotherapy, looked stunning in a green Catherine Walker dress suit, Juliette Botterill hat, and regimental brooch of the Irish Guards (of which she is colonel). She was also wearing a pair of pearl drop earrings that belonged to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Prince William, Princess Anne and Prince Edward all rode on horseback during the ceremony after the decision was made for the King, who is undergoing ongoing cancer treatment, to ride in a state carriage. Previously the King has ridden on horseback but decided not to this year on the advice of his medical team.
Saturday was the first time Princess Anne has been seen on horseback since she was injured by one of her horses at her home and was rushed to hospital for emergency head surgery last year.
Seated alongside King Charles, Queen Camilla wore a silk crepe dress by her wedding designer Anna Valentine accessorized with the brooch of the Grenadier Guards.
The King celebrates two birthdays, his actual birthday in November and the public celebration of his birthday in June. Today, crowds lined the Mall and erupted into cheers of support when the monarch and the Queen passed by in their open top State Landau carriage.
The King was joined by the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and Princess Anne, the most senior tier of royals. All wore black arm bands at the King’s request as a show of support and solidarity for the victims of the recent Air India plane crash. A minute’s silence was also held in tribute of the 241 passengers (of which 53 were Brits) and crew who were killed when a Boeing 787 crashed in the Indian city of Ahmedabad shortly after take off.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said Charles requested amendments to the Trooping the Colour program “as a mark of respect for the lives lost, the families in mourning and all the communities affected by this awful tragedy.”
The King issued a written message soon after the plane crash, saying he was “desperately shocked by the terrible events” and expressed his “deepest possible sympathy.”
Trooping the Colour is a centuries old tradition and one of the most important occasions in the royal calendar. It dates to the 17th century when regimental colours (flags) were trooped in front of soldiers to ensure they could be recognized on the battlefield.
The colour–flag–trooped this year is that of the Coldstream Guards who presented the flag to the King at the parade.
The spectacle along the Mall and Horse Guards Parade was capped off when the royal family returned to Buckingham Palace. There, the group stood in the balcony for a fly past from the Red Arrows, which is celebrating its 61st year.
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