What is Trooping the Colour?

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in one of the Trooping the Colour ceremonies.
Image: Zimbio

Trooping the Colour remains one of the most popular and most anticipated events in Great Britain. The ceremony is not only a showcase of the regiments of the British and Commonwealth armies, which dates back to the time when the British Armed Forces are the mightiest in the world, it also marks the of the British Sovereign’s official birthday. Since the reign of King George II, the official birthday of the Sovereign has been marked  by Trooping the Color. It is held in London in June every year during the Horse Guards Parade by St. James's Park. It also coincides with the publication of the Birthday Honours List. Members of the British Royal Family never fail to witness the events, who are joined by guests, ticketholders and the general public.  

The ceremony begins with the royal procession, where the monarch travels down from Buckingham Palace to The Mall escorted by Household Cavalry. The Queen is given a royal salute after which she begins to inspect her troops of the Household Division consisting of foot guards and horse guards. The King's Troop and Royal Horse Artillery are also inspected by Her Majesty. A foot-guard is chosen to troop its colour through the ranks of guards.  

After inspecting her troops, the sovereign would return to Buckingham Palace and watches a further march-past from outside the gates. A 41-gun salute by the King's Troop in Green Park is then fired. The Royal Family then gathers on to the palace balcony where the Royal Air Force perform the flypast.


Let us take a little trip back in time and check out the spectacle that was the Trooping the Colour in the years past. 

1903

Image: J. Russell & Sons/Picssr.com

1911

Trooping the Colour official website

1935

CBS

1936



1937

CBC

1952

Angelfire

1977

Times of Malta


1982

Corbis via Welsh Guards Reunited

1992

Handpicked.org

2005

Alpha-Karwal Tang via Daily Mail

2012

Wikimedia
Zimbio

Zimbio

2016

Zimbio

Zimbio

Zimbio

Zimbio

Zimbio

Comments

  1. very very lovely,Live Long The Queen,i love you all very much .
    sara

    ReplyDelete
  2. A fantastic tradition. Here here to queen E II. There are traditions in the British Monarchy must never, ever let go of them. This is a big one. Hip Hip Hurray

    ReplyDelete
  3. A fantastic tradition. Here here to queen E II. There are traditions in the British Monarchy must never, ever let go of them. This is a big one. Hip Hip Hurray

    ReplyDelete

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