Procession and review of the troops, Charles III on horseback for his first birthday parade

June 17, 2023

King Charles III inspected the troops on Saturday morning in his first birthday parade as sovereign, which he conducted on horseback, a first for a monarch since 1986.

Organized every year in June, this parade marks the official birthday of the king, who will turn 75 on November 14 and will then celebrate the event in private.

Under a cloudy sky, Charles III left Buckingham Palace in a procession shortly after 10:30 a.m. local time (9:30 a.m. GMT), followed in particular by his brother Prince Edward and his sister Princess Anne, as well as his son and heir to the throne William. , all three also on horseback.

Queen Camilla, Princess Kate and her three children – George, Charlotte and Louis – followed in a carriage.

The tradition of this parade called “Trooping the color” (“Salut aux couleurs”) dates back to the reign of George II in 1748 who, although born on October 30, wished to take advantage of good weather to celebrate his birthday.

Televised, the event always attracts a large audience around Buckingham Palace where the parade takes place.

Queen Elizabeth II, who died last September at the age of 96, no longer appeared in the saddle at this emblematic event of British royal pomp after 1986.

Some 1,400 soldiers, 400 musicians and 200 horses take part in this ceremony organized on the Horse Guards Parade square in central London.

Mare Juno led the parade, followed by three drum horses – Perseus, Atlas and Apollo. These equids, which carry the drums during parades, are the most experienced animals in the British Armed Forces. They are endowed with the rank of major and have a name taken from figures of Greek mythology.

This ceremony has its origins in the preparations for war, where all the flags were shown to the soldiers so that they would recognize them in the confusion of the battles.

The 1st Battalion of the Welsh Guards is in the spotlight this year, and after inspecting the troops Charles III, who as Head of State is Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, will lead the procession back home to Buckingham Palace.

Joined by Queen Camilla, and other working members of the Royal Family, the King will wave to the crowd from the palace balcony and watch an aerial parade after 41 cannon shots were fired from Green Park.

This year, this aerial parade of 70 planes will be larger, to compensate for the cancellation of that planned for the coronation of the king on May 6, disrupted by bad weather.

The celebrations of the king’s birthday are the occasion, with the New Year, to announce distinctions and decorations of personalities and anonymous people.

This year’s list includes novelist Martin Amis, who died last month, director Stephen Frears, Vogue editor Anna Wintour, and Junior Frood, an 18-year-old student turned anti-bullying campaigner. after being victimized.