King to mark official birthday with 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.
The King, Colonel-in-Chief of the Coldstream Guards, inspected the regiment during a ceremony at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, on Friday (Henry Nicholls/PA)
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
Evening Standard
35 minutes ago
- Evening Standard
Full list of cancelled London-Israel flights as UK issues 'red' travel alert
Trooping the Colour 2025 fashion: Best looks from Princess of Wales, Queen Camilla and Princess Charlotte Trooping the Colour 2025 fashion: Best looks from the royal family
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
King Charles and Prince Louis's special bond: How cheeky seven-year-old channelled his doting grandfather on the Trooping the Colour balcony
The sweet bond between King Charles and his grandson Prince Louis was once again on show on Saturday as the royals took to the balcony to watch the flyover during Trooping the Colour. While the monarch, 76, is a grandfather of five, it's believed he has a particularly special bond with the Prince and Princess of Wales 's youngest son. And the youngster seemed keen to emulate his grandfather during yesterday's festivities, with video footage from the event showing Louis appearing to copy the way the senior royal was waving while watching the flypast. Lip reader Juliet Sullivan told FEMAIL that His Majesty had a sweet interchange with Louis at one point on the balcony, ensuring he didn't miss out on the action by telling him: 'Louis! Look! The fighter jets!' Meanwhile, adorable video clips and photos show the seven-year-old waving at the crowd in tandem with his beloved Grandpa Wales. The sweet bond between the two royals has long been celebrated by royal watchers. On April 23, 2020 - during lockdown - Clarence House posted a touching picture of Charles hugging his grandson to mark his second birthday. And it appears that King Charles shares one of his special passions with young Louis - it was recently revealed that the soon-to-be-seven-year-old shares his grandpa's love of art. In February, the Princess of Wales shared portraits created by her three children as part of her early years work encouraging parents to draw with their children. And while fans quickly noticed the sheer artistic talent of George who created a line-drawn portrait of his mother sitting in an armchair, it was Louis's attention to detail that wowed. His drawing, which appeared to be drawn in red crayon, featured a beauty spot above his mother's lip on the left side. For more than 50 years, King Charles has used any spare moment he has to create watercolour paintings – some of which have been displayed in exhibitions in London and Australia. He has frequently been seen whipping out his paintbrushes while in Klosters, Switzerland during his family skiing holidays. Previously the chairman of the Royal Collection Trust, Charles has seemingly passed this passion on to young Louis. But the pair are connected not only by their shared interests but their names. Born in 1948, Charles was christened Charles Philip Arthur George. Born 70 years later in 2018, Prince Louis's full name is Louis Arthur Charles. Aside from the obvious use of Charles as a middle name, the name Louis is thought to be a tribute to the King's beloved uncle, Louis Mountbatten, who was assassinated by the IRA in 1979. Although it is normal for senior royals to name their children after other members of the family, it seems Charles is a particularly deserving grandfather. When Prince George was born in 2013, Charles spoke of how 'overjoyed' he was to have become a grandfather. He explained: 'Grandparenthood is a unique moment in anyone's life, as countless kind people have told me in recent months, so I am enormously proud and happy to be a grandfather for the first time.' In a touching tribute to his first grandson, Charles planted trees at Balmoral and called it Prince George's Wood. During a 2018 interview for Prince, Son & Heir – Charles at 70, Queen Camilla said of her husband: 'He will get down on his knees and crawl about with them for hours, you know making funny noises and laughing and my grandchildren adore him, absolutely adore him.' She continued: 'He reads Harry Potter, and he can do all the different voices, and I think children really appreciate that.' In agreement, William described Charles as a 'brilliant grandfather' – although he wished he could spend more time with the grandchildren. Catherine shared a portrait created by Prince Louis as part of her early years work encouraging parents to draw with their children. Fans were wowed by the young prince's attention to detail in including his mother's beauty spot - suggesting he shares an interest in art with Charles 'It's something I'm working more heavily on, put it that way,' William said. 'I think he does have time for it, but I would like him to have more time with the children. 'I think he's… now he's reached his 70th year it's a perfect time to consolidate a little bit because as most families would do, you are worried about having them around and making sure their health's okay. And he's the fittest man I know but equally I want him to be fit until he's 95. 'So, having more time with him at home would be lovely, and being able to you know, play with the grandchildren. 'Because when he's there, he's brilliant. But we need him there as much as possible.' In 2022, the late Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee Celebrations, provided a sweet example of Louis and Charles enjoying each other's company. While watching the Pageant, the young prince showcased an array of amusing expressions as he sat next to his mother Catherine, then-Duchess of Cambridge, in the Royal Box. He was seen clenching his fists, sticking out his tongue, waving his arms in the air, putting his hands over his mother's mouth and standing on his seat for a better view of the spectacle. The restless four-year-old soon became bored with the seating arrangement and asked his father Prince William for 'Pa' indicating he wanted to see his grandfather. When the youngster grew restless during the 2022 celebrations, he sat on his grandfather's knee The restless then-four-year-old appeared to be enjoying himself as he sat beside his grandparents Speaking to MailOnline, expert lipreader Juliet Sullivan revealed William leaned across Camilla to ask Charles: 'Grandpa, can Louis sit on your knee?' to which he replied 'of course'. Catherine stroked Louis's shoulder before he got out of his seat and walked to his left towards his grandfather. The four-year-old prince then sat on Charles's lap who rocked him from side to side, making for some adorable family photos. One royal fan tweeted: 'Prince Charles and Prince Louis have the best bond.' 'Lovely to see Prince Charles in grandpa mode with Prince Louis today!,' wrote another.
Edinburgh Live
2 hours ago
- Edinburgh Live
King Charles utters 'disgrace' to Queen Camilla during 'heated exchange'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info An expert in lip reading has deciphered King Charles' apparently heated comments to Queen Camilla while the royal couple rode in a carriage during Trooping the Colour. The monarch's birthday was celebrated in grand style on 14 June, with the entire Royal Family in attendance. Kate Middleton, accompanied by her children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, travelled from the Palace by carriage. The parade along the Mall to Horse Guard's Parade saw Prince William and Princess Anne ride horseback behind the King's carriage. Meanwhile, cameras caught a lively exchange between Charles and Camilla. READ MORE - Madeleine McCann 'breakthrough' as 'celebrating' police 'may have found clue' READ MORE - Victoria Beckham sends Brooklyn pointed message in Father's Day post According to lip reader Jeremy Freeman, Charles made some animated remarks. He seemed to say: "Absolutely crazy, disgrace, absolutely extraordinary." Though Jeremy wasn't able to catch every word, he did pick up Charles saying "on my way out", followed by: "Meanwhile, not like me. That's the difference between me and him.", reports the Mirror. It's unclear who Charles was referring to, but the comments come amid a reported dispute between the King and his estranged brother Prince Andrew over Royal Lodge. There are claims that Charles is investigating Andrew's financial affairs to prevent any rash decisions made under financial strain. Prince Harry has admitted that he's had very little contact with his father following his withdrawal from frontline Royal duties. His explosive autobiography 'Spare' sent shockwaves through the monarchy, with experts speculating he might have permanently strained family relationships. In an impromptu but poignant gesture, today's Trooping the Colour was overshadowed by a tribute to the recent Air India tragedy which resulted in 241 fatalities, prompting His Majesty to request last-minute changes to the event. A respectfully observed one-minute silence blanketed Horse Guards Parade, as the Royal family donned black armbands to signify their grief. The ceremony showcased over a thousand troops of the British Army in full regalia, honouring Britain's rich military traditions. Central to the observance is the "Colour", or regimental flag, ceremoniously shown to the ranks, echoing its historical use as a rendezvous point amidst the chaos of war. King Charles continued the long-established tradition of inspecting the troops, a duty laden with ceremonial heritage.
