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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Jennifer Newton

King Charles makes major change as he prepares for first Trooping the Colour as monarch

The royals are set to be out in force this weekend for one of the major events in their busy calendars.

Saturday will see the annual monarch's birthday parade - Trooping the Colour - and it will be a very special one.

That's because it will be the first parade of King Charles' reign with him set to take the salute in the ceremony, which sees hundreds of horses and soldiers carry out complex battlefield drill manoeuvres to military music.

Many parts of the day will remain as they have done for years under the late Queen, with some royals travelling in carriages from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade to watch the service.

King Charles on a visit to Yorkshire today (PA)

There will also be an appearance by members of the Firm on the Buckingham Palace balcony, where an RAF flypast, which will include the Red Arrows, will round off the day.

However, it seems Charles is set to make one major change to the parade compared to the final years of his late mother's life.

It has been announced by Buckingham Palace that the King will join the military parade by riding on horseback for the occasion.

King Charles and Camilla with the late Queen at Trooping the Colour last year (AFP via Getty Images)

It will be the first time since 1986 a reigning monarch has ridden in the parade - with the late Queen last doing it that year.

Burmese was the late Queen's favourite steed for Trooping and ceremonial occasions for 18 years from 1969 to 1986 until the animal was moved to Windsor for retirement.

She then decided that, rather than train another charger for the ceremony, she would in future be driven in a carriage.

Charles will be joined on horseback by son Prince William, who witnessed The Colonel's Review ahead of Trooping the Colour at the weekend.

Prince William riding on horseback alongside Charles at Trooping the Colour last year (Getty Images)
The late Queen last rode a horse at Trooping the Colour in 1986 (Tim Graham/Getty Images)

With temperatures reaching 28C, the baking heat proved too much for some, and the prince later tweeted his thanks to those who had taken part.

William acknowledged the "difficult conditions" in a tweet he personally signed with his initial.

He wrote: "A big thank you to every soldier (sic) who took part in the Colonel’s Review this morning in the heat. Difficult conditions but you all did a really good job. Thank you. W."

The Colonel's Review is the final evaluation of the Household Division before the soldiers and horses parade for the King during Trooping the Colour on June 17 to mark the monarch's official birthday.

Prince William carries out the Colonel's Review ahead of Trooping the Colour on Saturday (WireImage)

William inspected his troops on horseback, wearing a bearskin cap and red dress uniform, for the first time as Colonel of the Welsh Guards.

His horse, named Darby, was a gift to the late Queen from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and it led the funeral procession for William’s grandmother last year.

This year, it is the turn of the Welsh Guards – the King’s former division – to Troop their Colour.

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