Princess Kate joins King Charles for Trooping the Colour parade in London

Procession through London

King Charles and Queen Camilla, in Grenadier Guards uniforms, led the carriage procession from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade. The Queen wore a brooch first used by then-Princess Elizabeth in 1942 when she became colonel of the regiment. Princess Kate, in a sky-blue Catherine Walker dress and Philip Treacy hat, rode with her three children, George, Charlotte and Louis. She pinned the Irish Guards brooch to her outfit, a nod to her role as honorary colonel. Prince William, Princess Anne and Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, followed on horseback in full military dress.

The military spectacle

The parade at Horse Guards involved over 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 army musicians, marking the King's official birthday. The Trooping the Colour ceremony has been a fixture of the British monarchy for more than 260 years, serving as the formal sovereign's birthday celebration each June. The double-birthday custom dates to King George III, who also acquired Buckingham Palace and turned it into a royal residence outside medieval London.

Balcony finale and flypast

After returning to the palace, the royal family appeared on the balcony as the Red Arrows aerobatic team performed a flypast over London. Last year's display was the first to use sustainable fuel made from vegetable oils. Crowds filled Green Park, once the mulberry fields and meadows that surrounded Buckingham House in the 17th century, to watch the aircraft streak across the sky.

A tradition rooted in history

George III, crowned in 1760 and nicknamed "Farmer George" for his agricultural interests, began the double-birthday custom when his actual November birthday made outdoor parades impractical. He bought Buckingham House from the Duke of Buckingham and transformed it into a palace, shaping the landscape that today hosts the annual spectacle.