Trooping the Colour live: Huge flypast over Palace to mark King's birthday

Summary

A massive flypast featuring the Red Arrows has taken place over Buckingham Palace as the Royal Family looked on from the balcony
It was the final event to mark King Charles III's birthday parade - Trooping the Colour
Thousands of spectators lined the route of the parade from the Palace to Horse Guards Parade and back again
King Charles, riding on horseback, inspected the troops at Horse Guards Parade and received the royal salute
More than 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses and hundreds of army musicians took part, and there was a guns salute in Green Park

Live Reporting

Edited by Emma Owen and Heather Sharp

It's hot, but hopefully not so hot we'll see soldiers faintpublished at 11:59 British Summer Time 17 June 2023
Sean Coughlan
Reporting from Buckingham Palace
Without tempting fate, for those on the parade ground it has been sunny but not blazingly hot.
There had been worries about soldiers fainting in the heat, after several fainted at a parade last weekend.
According to researchers, about a third of people will faint at some time in their lives.
But no one is going to want that head-swimming moment to be in front of the TV cameras, not to mention the King.
Last year the Royal Army Medical Corps tried to get a more evidence-based understanding of fainting, when they wired up a number of guardsmen with monitoring equipment.
Perhaps they should have asked that other expert at holding firm at royal ceremonial events – the sword-wielding Penny Mordaunt.
Image source, Getty Images
Mounted troops ride past Kingpublished at 11:56 British Summer Time 17 June 2023
We're now onto the ride past - where mounted troops march past the King.
The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, the Life Guards and The Blues and Royals are now taking centre stage on the parade ground - complete with large kettle drums.
Some of them are pulling guns salvaged from World War One battlefields - these are uninsurable, and, we understand, have no brakes which means horses with chunky hindquarters are deployed to pull them.
George, Charlotte and Louis get a closer lookpublished at 11:45 British Summer Time 17 June 2023
We've just received this picture showing Prince William's three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis getting out and about at the parade ground - a chance for them to inspect the soldiers themselves.
Image source, PA Media
Who is watching the ceremony?published at 11:40 British Summer Time 17 June 2023
We've just seen Prime Minister Rishi Sunak watching, along with prime ministers of some Commonwealth States and realms.
There are also 8,000 people who have been allocated seats in the stands around the parade square - this is done through a ballot, which at least 250,000 people enter each year.
Image source, PA Media
Image source, PA
Image caption,
Some 8,000 people have been allocated seats in the stands around the parade square
Marching past the Kingpublished at 11:39 British Summer Time 17 June 2023
The troops have now moved into different formations to march past King Charles - who remains on horseback throughout the ceremony.
As the soldier - known as the Ensign - who is carrying the Colour passes the monarch, he will salute by lowering the regimental flag to a horizontal position, completely unfurled, with the regiment’s insignia and battle honours fully visible.
The King acknowledges the Colour as it passes, while the royal colonels and other senior officers salute.
The Colour is troopedpublished at 11:28 British Summer Time 17 June 2023
This is it - the actual Trooping of the Colour. The Colour is being carried along the ranks of the other guards.
As we mentioned earlier, this tradition dates back to the days when flags were used as rallying points on the battlefields.
It was essential that soldiers could recognise their own regiment’s Colour, so the Colours were displayed regularly to assembled troops.
Troops perform 'spin wheel'published at 11:27 British Summer Time 17 June 2023
Back to the serious business of the parade, and the soldiers have just performed a "spin wheel" - a tricky manoeuvre to allow the massed band to turn 90 degrees.
It involves half the troops turning about and marching backwards whilst the other half march forwards.
The manoeuvre does not appear in any drill book or manual but has been passed down from memory to each new generation of musicians.
The picture we were waiting forpublished at 11:25 British Summer Time 17 June 2023
Prince Louis can always be relied upon to lighten the mood...
Image source, PA Media
Preparing to Troop the Colourpublished at 11:20 British Summer Time 17 June 2023
We’re now seeing the soldier who will carry the Colour - accompanied by an escort of more troops - prepare to receive the regimental flag.
This part of the ceremony includes the only moment when a sword is drawn.
A Colour from a different regiment is trooped each year - the Colour being trooped today is the Kings Colour –-1st Battalion Welsh Guards.
The tune of the British Grenadiers is played at this point.
Salute of mobile phone cameraspublished at 11:17 British Summer Time 17 June 2023
Sean Coughlan
Reporting from Buckingham Palace
Image source, Getty Images
It’s not a scientific survey as such, but one of the noticeable features of any royal event now is that everyone in the crowd seems to want to film the spectacle on their mobile phones.
And that changes the response of a crowd. It’s now a salute of cameras with no hands spare for clapping.
There was some cheering as the King headed away from Buckingham Palace, but the first reaction was to see a wave of arms go up to film the moment - and then for spectators to film themselves to prove they were there.
In pictures: King's birthday paradepublished at 11:15 British Summer Time 17 June 2023
And here's a selection of some images of this morning's parade.
Image source, Reuters
Image caption,
King Charles - he's under that hat
Image source, Reuters
Image caption,
His son, Prince William (left), and brother Prince Edward (right)
Image source, PA
Image caption,
Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte in a carriage with their mother, the Princess of Wales, and Queen Camilla
Image source, PA
Image source, Reuters
Image caption,
Thousands have gathered to watch the pageantry
Massed Bands and Drums marchpublished at 11:12 British Summer Time 17 June 2023
We’re now seeing the Massed Bands and Drums march across Horse Guards Parade. They will march both in slow time and quick time - different paces of military marching.
They are playing a medley of regimental music.
Traditionally, the slow march is Giacomo Meyerbeer’s opera Les Huguenots.
Royal grandchildren are watching in the carriagepublished at 11:10 British Summer Time 17 June 2023
Image source, PA Media
It's another parade for Princes George, Louis, and Princess Charlotte.
King Charles inspects the troopspublished at 11:03 British Summer Time 17 June 2023
The King, together with the other royals on horseback and followed by the carriage, is now carrying out his inspection of the troops.
These are the Foot Guards who, along with the Household Cavalry, form the Household Division.
King arrives at Horse Guards Paradepublished at 11:00 British Summer Time 17 June 2023
The royal salute has been given and the national anthem is playing.
Procession travels down The Mallpublished at 10:55 British Summer Time 17 June 2023
The senior royals on horseback are now leading the procession along The Mall - with Queen Camilla, the Princess of Wales and her three children following in the carriage.
King rides out of the gates of Buckingham Palacepublished at 10:49 British Summer Time 17 June 2023
Sean Coughlan
Reporting from Buckingham Palace
The last time that a monarch was on horseback for this ceremony was 1986, in a month when chart toppers included Wham! and Doctor and the Medics.
The music is more military this morning and in terms of horse riding skills, it can’t be easy for those musicians on horseback, playing instruments while keeping control of a horse.
Their gold-coloured uniforms have the insignia of the new reign of King Charles.
Royal procession beginspublished at 10:47 British Summer Time 17 June 2023
We’ve now had our first sight of the King as the procession leaves Buckingham Palace, heading to Horse Guards Parade, where the Trooping the Colour Ceremony will take place.
Riding on horseback are:
- King Charles III
- Prince William, the Prince of Wales, Colonel of the Welsh Guards
- The Princess Royal, Princess Anne, Colonel of the Blues and Royals
- The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward - Colonel of the London Guards
And travelling by horse-drawn carriage are:
- Queen Camilla, Colonel Grenadier Guards
- The Princess of Wales, Colonel Irish Guards
The procession is led by the Household Division Brigade Major, Lieutenant Colonel James Shaw.
Some love a ceremonial spectacle - but not allpublished at 10:44 British Summer Time 17 June 2023
Sean Coughlan
Reporting from Buckingham Palace
Image source, Getty Images
The crowds, including a good number of tourists, are making the most of the ceremonial spectacle and the good weather.
It’s a picture postcard scene, with a royal occasion in all its pomp and sense of history, in an event dating back to the 18th century.
But as we saw at the Coronation, there are also those who are opposed to the monarchy and who will be sceptical about the relevance of such a display.
Troops will be hoping for cooler weather todaypublished at 10:42 British Summer Time 17 June 2023
A number of soldiers appeared to faint in the hot weather during a rehearsal for this event last weekend.
The Prince of Wales paid tribute to those took part in soaring temperatures, which reached 30°C(86F) in London.
Prince William acknowledged the difficult conditions in a tweet as he praised them for "doing a really good job".
Image source, EPA
Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock