Charles will be back in the saddle for Trooping the Colour: Royal tradition revived with King’s appearance on horseback the first time a monarch has joined the iconic parade in 30 years
- Charles will join the Horse Guards Parade on Saturday and take the salute
- The Queen last rode her horse Burmese at Trooping the Colour in 1986
The King will join the first birthday parade of his reign on horseback, marking the first time in more than 30 years that a monarch has ridden at Trooping the Colour.
Charles, 74, will take the salute as Colonel in Chief of the seven regiments of the Household Division at the Birthday Parade on Horse Guards Parade on Saturday.
It will be the first time the reigning monarch has ridden at Trooping the Colour since 1986 when Queen Elizabeth II last rode.
Burmese was the Queen’s favourite steed for Trooping and ceremonial occasions – and in 2020 the equestrian-loving monarch picked the black mare as one of her favourite horses of all time for a list for Horse & Hound magazine.
She used Burmese, which was a gift from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, for 18 years from 1969 to 1986 until the animal was moved to Windsor for retirement.
The King (pictured on Saturday) will join the first birthday parade of his reign on horseback, marking the first time in more than 30 years that a monarch has ridden at Trooping the Colour
It will be the first time the reigning monarch has ridden at Trooping the Colour since 1986 when Queen Elizabeth II last rode (pictured)
The Queen then decided that, rather than train another charger for the ceremony, she would in future be driven in a carriage.
On Saturday, the parade will move from Buckingham Palace, down The Mall to Horse Guards Parade, where the King will be greeted by a royal salute and will carry out an inspection of the military on parade.
Charles will be joined by the Queen and members of the royal family to view the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards Troop their Colour.
The Sovereign’s Escort will be provided by The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals.
After the parade, the King, accompanied by Camilla and other family members, will return to Buckingham Palace for the march-past and the fly-past, which will conclude the day’s celebrations.
The annual event of Trooping of the Colour has marked the official birthday of the Sovereign for more than 260 years.
Last year the Queen was joined by Charles, Kate, William and her great-grandchildren to watch a special flypast after the Trooping The Colour ceremony.
The Prince of Wales reviewed his troops on horseback on Saturday as at least three soldiers fainted in sweltering London temperatures.
The annual event of Trooping of the Colour has marked the official birthday of the Sovereign for more than 260 years (pictured: Charles and the Queen after the Platinum Jubilee Trooping The Colour in 2022)
The Queen and family members on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the Trooping the Colour ceremony in 2022
A trombone player in the military band faints during the Colonel’s Review for Trooping the Colour
Thousands gathered at Horse Guards Parade to witness The Colonel’s Review ahead of Trooping the Colour this weekend.
The ceremony involved hundreds of horses and soldiers carrying out complex battlefield drill manoeuvres to military music.
But with temperatures reaching 28C, the baking heat proved too much for some, and the prince later tweeted his thanks to those who had taken part.
At least three soldiers fainted and were taken off on stretchers while two more were helped off the parade ground.