King Charles III will attend the annual parade celebrating his birthday on June 17 for the first time since his accession to the throne, Buckingham Palace announced Thursday.
British sovereigns celebrate their birthdays twice: in private on D-Day and then in an official ceremony in June, following an age-old tradition to escape the vagaries of the weather.
This was the case of Isabel II, born on April 21, 1926, and it will also be the case of Carlos, born on November 14, 1948 and who, therefore, recently turned 74 shortly after becoming king after the death of his mother on September 8.
This ceremony, baptized as “Trooping the Colour”, has its origins in the preparations for the war, where all the flags were shown to the soldiers so that they could recognize them in the confusion of the fighting.
pinpoint ceremony
The sovereign will participate on June 17 in the parade that will bring together 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians and that will unite Buckingham Palace in London with the Horse Guards Parade square along Mall Avenue, as tradition dictates in a statement press. The parade usually concludes with an air parade attended by the Royal Family from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
The palace also announced the promotion to colonel of the regiments taking part in the parade for Queen Consort Camilla, heir to the throne William and his wife Kate.
This parade will take place just over a month after the coronation ceremony of Carlos III, on May 6, which the royal family intends to modernize and make more modest compared to the grandiose of Isabel II in 1953.
Last year the “Salut aux couleurs” took place as part of the platinum jubilee festivities celebrating 70 years of Elizabeth II’s reign, during which she made two brief appearances on the balcony of her London palace.
Source: BFM TV
