The annual Trooping the Colour ceremony took place in London on Saturday to mark the official birthday of King Charles III. The event included a military parade, a royal carriage procession, and an RAF flypast. Thousands of spectators lined the route, while anti-monarchy protests occurred along the parade path.
Event Details
The ceremony took place in central London, featuring a troop inspection, a military parade, and a balcony appearance by members of the Royal Family. The colour trooped this year was the King's Colour of the Grenadier Guards.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla traveled in an Ascot Landau carriage, originally purchased during the reign of Queen Victoria. For the third consecutive year, the King did not ride on horseback, a change he first made in 2024.
The King wore the uniform of the Grenadier Guards. Prince William, on horseback outside Buckingham Palace, wore the uniform of the Welsh Guards. King Charles III saluted the troops outside Buckingham Palace.
Following the parade, King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Prince William, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, joined other members of the Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
The Red Arrows and 31 aircraft of the Royal Air Force performed a flypast over Buckingham Palace, leaving a trail of red, white, and blue smoke. The first King's Birthday flypast took place in 1913.
Royal Family Appearance
Prince William, Catherine, Princess of Wales, and their children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—attended the event.
- Catherine, Princess of Wales, wore a light blue coat dress by Catherine Walker. Her three-strand pearl bracelet was originally designed for Diana, Princess of Wales, and was given to her by Prince William.
- Prince George and Prince Louis wore pale blue ties. Princess Charlotte wore a dress by Alessandra Rich.
- Prince Louis was reserved during the event, though he showed interest in the RAF flypast.
- Prince William's beard, worn with his military uniform, has been noted as a departure from standard military dress protocol.
- At Horse Guards Parade, the Princess of Wales joined King Charles and Queen Camilla on the royal dais to watch the military spectacle, while her children watched from a first-floor window.
Protests
Protesters from the "Not My King" movement demonstrated during the event.
- Demonstrators chanted "not my king" and "down with the crown" and displayed pictures of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
- A group of anti-monarchy protesters booed as the King and Queen passed by.
- Members of the anti-monarchy group Republic staged a protest along the parade route, where demonstrators unfurled umbrellas spelling out "Stop The Reign" and chanted slogans. The Princess of Wales continued to wave to well-wishers during the protests.