King rides on horseback in first Trooping the Colour as monarch
King rides on horseback in first Trooping the Colour as monarch
King rides on horseback in first Trooping the colour as monarch by Inside Port Harcourt
King Charles III has taken part in his first Trooping the Colour on horseback, the military spectacle which marks the monarch’s official birthday.
It is the first time a monarch has ridden on horseback at the event in 30 years, when the late Queen rode her horse, Burmese, in 1986.
The King received the royal salute as the Colonel-in-Chief of the Household Division’s regiments.
Thousands watched the event at Horse Guard’s Parade and the Mall.
The King is joined on horseback by the royal Colonels – the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal.
The Duke of Edinburgh is also riding during the ceremony in his role as Colonel of the 1st Battalion London Guards.
The senior royals on horseback have been joined by the Queen, the Princess of Wales and her children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, who came along to support their grandfather.
The King and senior royals waved from the balcony at Buckingham Palace before watching the flypast, where huge cheers could be heard as they appeared and began to wave.
Planes flew in formation to spell out a surprise message for the King – his initials, “CR”, meaning Charles Rex.
Crowds descended on the Mall to witness the event, with a sea of mobile phones up in the air to film the moment.
The royals watched an extended military flypast after the display on coronation day had to be scaled down due to bad weather.
Around 70 aircraft from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force took part – including aircraft from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, the C-130 Hercules on its final ceremonial flight, modern Typhoon fighter jets with a red, white and blue finale from the Red Arrows.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was also spotted in the crowd, as well as Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, along with prime ministers of some Commonwealth states and realms.
One royal fan said they were “so happy” to be at Trooping the Colour after missing out on the King’s Coronation.
They said: “We’re so happy about coming today. We’ve been bringing our kids to see all of the pomp and ceremony for years.
“We’ve been exchanging photos, and we’ve got plans for birthday cocktails later.”
Before the ceremony began, the Prince of Wales paid tribute to those took part in last week’s rehearsal in soaring temperatures, which reached 30°C (86F) in London.
The ceremony started at Buckingham Palace, with the King and senior royals travelling down The Mall towards Horse Guards Parade.
The colour – or regimental flag – was then trooped in front of hundreds of Guardsmen and officers from the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards.
There was music and marching while the King carried out an inspection of the soldiers – moving slowly along the line as they stand in formation.
The last time a monarch was on horseback was when chart toppers included Wham! and Doctor and the Medics.
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.
