King to mark official birthday with Trooping the Colour parade
The King will celebrate his official birthday with the Trooping the Colour parade.
Military pomp and pageantry will be on display in central London to mark the milestone but the event will also remember those killed in the Air India plane crash.
The King has requested a minute's silence be observed in tribute to the 241 passengers and crew killed, and others affected, when a Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for Gatwick Airport came down on Thursday in the Indian city of Ahmedabad.
Black armbands will also be worn by the head of state and senior royals riding in the ceremony, also known as the King's Birthday Parade, staged in Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall.
On horseback and wearing the armbands will be the Royal Colonels – Prince of Wales, Colonel of the Welsh Guards, the Princess Royal, Colonel Blues and Royals, and the Duke of Edinburgh, Colonel Scots Guards.
The Queen, the Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Edinburgh are expected to be among the royal party watching the event and royal fans will hope Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis will join them as they did last year.
Members of the royal family not taking part in the parade and who normally watch events from the Duke of Wellington's former office will not wear black armbands.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said the King requested amendments to the Trooping the Colour programme 'as a mark of respect for the lives lost, the families in mourning and all the communities affected by this awful tragedy'.
In 2017, Trooping was held a few days after the Grenfell Tower blaze and the loss of life was marked by a minute's silence, a decision taken by Queen Elizabeth II.
The King issued a written message soon after the Air India plane crash saying he was 'desperately shocked by the terrible events' and expressing his 'deepest possible sympathy'.
He was kept updated about the developing situation on Thursday and it later emerged there was a sole survivor, UK national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh.
Trooping the Colour will see more than 1,000 servicemen taking part in the military display who when not performing ceremonial duties are fighting soldiers.
The colour – regimental flag – being trooped this year is the King's Colour of Number 7 Company, Coldstream Guards, a prestigious regiment known as the sovereign's bodyguard which is celebrating its 375th anniversary this year.
The day will end with the royal family gathering on Buckingham Palace's balcony for the traditional RAF flypast.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
36 minutes ago
- Telegraph
British Jews warned of ‘revenge' attacks after missile strikes on Iran
British Jews have been warned to be vigilant and follow 'strict security measures' in the wake of Israel's strikes on Iran 's nuclear nuclear facilities and military bases and the subsequent aerial response from the Islamic Republic. The crisis has left Jewish leaders in the UK concerned about potential attacks closer to home. Synagogues have been placed on alert, while Israeli embassies around the world were closed due to increased threats. Jonathan Turner, chief executive of UK Lawyers for Israel, told The Telegraph: 'Israel's actions are extremely justified, especially when you have a country like Iran which repeatedly states the mantra 'death to Israel' and is developing nuclear weapons and trying to cover it up. 'We are aware that a number of colleagues in the UK and other countries have been targets of intended or potential attack by Iranian agents that were foiled by security services. We are very grateful to the police and security services for all they do to keep ourselves and our colleagues safe.' Protesters waived Iranian flags in London on Saturday, with crowds chanting 'Stop bombing Gaza, stop bombing Iran'. The Foreign Office has advised against all but essential travel to Israel, and said: 'The situation could escalate quickly and could pose significant risks, including missile fire.' The Community Security Trust (CST), which works to protect UK Jews from terrorism and anti-Semitism, said that the 'deep threat from Iran is central to our planning and our operations', but also warned security measures have been at a high level for more than 18 months since the Oct 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas. They added: 'CST strongly requests that our community be vigilant and follows the strict security measures that are in place at communal buildings, events and areas.' Meanwhile, Israel's National Security Council (NSC) warned Israelis abroad to 'avoid displaying Jewish or Israeli symbols in public spaces'. They added that it was likely that 'terrorist elements will seek to carry out acts of revenge against Israeli and Jewish targets around the world, including civilians'. Israel's foreign ministry also recommended that all Israeli citizens who are overseas fill out a form detailing their whereabouts. Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, called on the UK Government to 'maintain its active support for Israel's defence against the murderous Iranian regime'. He added: 'We express our deep solidarity with the Israeli people at this time, and pray for their safety and security. 'We affirm Israel's right to defend itself against threats in the region. There can be no doubt about Iran's intentions to acquire nuclear weapons capability. 'This poses a grave and intolerable threat to Israel, but also to the security and stability of the region and the world.' The Jewish Leadership Council (JLC) said its thoughts were with all those awaiting incoming fire from Iran. A spokesman added: 'We were grateful that successive UK governments provided life-saving support to help defend Israel from Iranian attacks, and we call on the UK to support its ally in the fight against a common threat.' They warned the Iranian regime poses a 'lethal threat, not only to Israelis and Jews worldwide but to British people here in the UK... such a regime must never be allowed to possess nuclear weapons'. The warnings come as the CST recorded 3,528 anti-Semitic incidents in the UK last year, the second-highest annual total ever reported to it, after a peak the previous year. Rhetoric related to the ongoing Middle East conflict featured in 1,844 (52 per cent) of anti-Semitic incidents reported to the CST in 2024. In at least 355 of the incidents, the phrase 'Free Palestine' was said to have been used in an anti-Semitic way, by being targeted 'at Jewish people or institutions in a hostile manner simply because they were Jewish'.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Tories ‘got it wrong' when they backed 2045 net zero target, Findlay says
Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay insisted his party is the only one 'telling the truth' on net zero – as he announced the Conservatives in Scotland would scrap the target of reaching this goal by 2045. Tory MSPs had voted for legislation in 2019 which commits Scotland to achieving net zero by that date. But Mr Findlay now says they had been 'wrong' to do so. His comments came as a new policy paper published by the party said reaching this target would result in 'unaffordable costs for struggling families across Scotland and put at risk our oil and gas industry and farmers' businesses'. UK Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has already said the UK target of reaching net zero by 2050 – five years later than the Scottish date – is 'impossible'. While Scottish Tories had previously backed the 2045 date, Mr Findlay told the PA news agency: 'I think yes, we did get it wrong'. When Conservative MSPs at Holyrood supported the 2045 date, he said they had done so 'so on the basis of what was known in those moments'. But he added: 'The situation has become clearer, it is evident to everybody watching this, to everybody in the Scottish Parliament, if they were being honest. 'Both Labour, the SNP and the rest of them would admit that the 2045 target isn't just unaffordable it's unachievable – that's the reality. 'So we're telling the truth to the Scottish public.' Mr Findlay continued: 'We want to reach net zero fairly and quickly. We understand the climate crisis emergency but we cannot harm our own economy and force householders who are already struggling to pay the bills with yet more great costs. 'Whether it be ripping out their gas boilers and putting in costly heat pumps, or forcing them to get rid of their cars and buying very expensive electric alternatives. 'This has got to be about the balance between ensuring we reach net zero properly and speedily, but recognising that it cannot come at a crippling cost to those people out there who are having to pay for it.' Asked later by journalists if his party was pandering to climate sceptics, Mr Findlay said they were 'absolutely not', adding the Tories were the only party 'telling the truth' on the issue. His comments came as the Scottish Conservatives promised to give every household in Scotland a £100 discount on their energy bills – with this to be funded from money accrued from the ScotWind auction, where areas of the seabed were leased for offshore wind power projects. The paper also said the Tories would make pylons 'an option of last resort for energy infrastructure projects' – with the party promising legislation to give people 'greater decision-making authority over local infrastructure projects' by abolishing the Scottish Government's existing energy consents union. Speaking about the changes as he addressed the Scottish Conservative conference in Edinburgh, Mr Findlay said: 'We would scrap the SNP's 2045 net zero target. It is unaffordable and unachievable.' He added that instead of spending money on 'SNP eco-projects', the Tories would 'use it to protect oil and gas workers' livelihoods'. Mr Findlay continued: 'We would take £100 off every household energy bill in Scotland from the proceeds of leasing our waters to wind farms. 'We will also give residents new legal powers to oppose mega-pylons.'
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Russell Findlay distances himself from Kemi Badenoch defector comments
Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay has distanced himself from comments by the national party's leader who claimed defections were a 'good thing'. Kemi Badenoch faced journalists in Edinburgh on Friday after her first address to the Scottish Tory conference since taking over the job. Her first appearance came amid a stream of defections from the Tories, mainly to Reform UK, with one MSP – Jamie Greene – moving to the Liberal Democrats. While Mr Findlay has generally been conciliatory when elected members announce plans to move, Ms Badenoch said the departures were a 'good thing' because those who left 'don't believe in conservatism'. Speaking to the PA news agency on Saturday, after his own inaugural address to the Scottish party conference, Mr Findlay said: 'I'm always disappointed when I see anyone choosing to the leave the party for whatever reason. 'The reasons are varied and I can't get inside the minds of everyone who might choose to do so.' Asked if he agreed with the 'good riddance' attitude of Ms Badenoch, he said: 'I would never say that about anyone that chooses to go elsewhere. 'It's more of a disappointment than anything else.' The UK party leader also told journalists she did not understand how someone could vote for the Scottish Government's blocked gender reform proposals in 2022 and call themselves a conservative, in a direct attack on Mr Greene. But two of the party's MSPs, frontbencher Dr Sandesh Gulhane and former leader Jackson Carlaw, voted for the legislation. Asked if he believed the pair were conservatives, Mr Findlay said: 'Of course they are conservatives and they have realised that they got that vote wrong.' The Scottish Tory leader also hit out at Mr Greene, who has accused him of 'undoing Ruth Davidson's broad-church conservativism in favour of right-wing propaganda' on the same day Mr Findlay sat down with the former leader.
