What Is Trooping the Colour? King Charles III’s Birthday Parade Explained
King Charles III’s first-ever Trooping the Colour as monarch is rapidly approaching — but what exactly does the tradition commemorate?
“[Trooping the Colour] is held to commemorate the Sovereign's birthday,” royal expert Gareth Russell exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday, June 13. “It is when a group of regiments called the household division — and they're the seven regiments [of a] five-foot two cavalry — who [guard the] official royal residences. The king and queen primarily have a parade from Buckingham Palace down the mall to Horse Guard Parade, where [the soldiers will] be inspected by the king.”
The annual parade dates back to the reign of King Charles II, who ruled from 1660 to 1685. However, it didn’t become a time-honored tradition until the reigns of George II and his grandson George III, who served as heads of the monarchy from 1727 to 1760 and 1760 to 1820, respectively.
The phrase "trooping the colour" comes from how soldiers would rally while in battle while holding the specific flag — or "colour" — of their regiment. During times of peace, officers would carry the flag so other military personnel could recognize the patriotic item.
“It brings a large crowd to see it,” Russell said of the modern event. “It's a chance for those seven regiments to sort of get together and also to be formally acknowledged by the monarchy for the role they play throughout the year in guarding them.”
Charles’ Trooping the Colour takes place this year on Saturday, June 17. While the event celebrates the birth of Charles, 74, he won’t celebrate his actual birthday until November 14. (His late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, also held her respective Trooping the Colour in June while her actual birthday fell in April. The queen died in September 2022 at age 96 after 70 years on the throne.)
Compared to the late queen’s previous celebrations, Charles’ ceremony will be a lot more elaborate. Earlier this week, Buckingham Palace announced that the king will ride on horseback during the parade — a tradition that hasn’t been seen for nearly three decades. Queen Elizabeth last saddled up in 1986 and opted for a carriage ride throughout the rest of her celebrations. According to the royal family’s official website more than 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians are involved in the festivities.
“It’s a big event regardless of the scale of it, but because this is the first of Charles III’s reign, we are seeing more soldiers involved,” explained Russell, the author of Do Let’s Have Another Drink!: The Dry Wit and Fizzy Life of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. “[Charles] certainly wanted to take the salute from horseback. It matches the tone of the inaugural, for want of a better word, Trooping of the Colour for his reign.”
