One month after King Charles III’s coronation, his first Trooping the Colour birthday parade is about to get underway at Horse Guards Parade.
Buckingham Palace last year announced that the annual celebrations to commemorate the official birthday of the British monarch will be held on 17 June.
The Trooping the Colour ceremony is a royal tradition that dates back to the 18th century, when it was reportedly first performed during the reign of King Charles II in 1748.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Charles will join his birthday parade, which features hundreds of soldiers, horses and musicians, on horseback.
This will mark the first time in over 30 years that a monarch has ridden at Trooping the Colour, since Elizabeth II rode on her favourite horse Burmese in 1986. After that, the late Queen was driven in a carriage.
Prince William, who witnessed The Colonel’s Review ahead of the ceremony last Saturday (10 June), Prince Edward, and Princess Anne will all join Charles on horseback.
Queen Camilla and the Princess of Wales are expected to watch the ceremony, which began at 10am, from carriages.
On Friday (16 June), it was reported that Prince Harry and Meghan will not be joining their family on Saturday.
The Independent contacted Buckingham Palace and a representative for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. According to People, who first reported Harry and Meghan had not been invited to the ceremony, both the Palace and the Sussexes’ office had no comment.
While Harry attended his father’s coronation last month, Meghan and the couple’s children remained in California.
Ahead of Trooping the Colour, the King’s first birthday honours list was released. Footballer Ian Wright, fashion editor Dame Anna Wintour and author Ian McEwan are among the prominent personalities who have been recognised this year.
Fans will get a glimpse of the parade as the royal family travels from Buckingham Palace down the Mall to the Horse Guards Parade, where Charles will be greeted by a royal salute and inspect the military on parade.
After the parade, the royals will return to Buckingham Palace to watch the march-past and military flypast.
The Royal Air Force on Saturday tweeted that 70 aircrafts from the Royal Navy, British Army, and RAF “will fly through the skies” at 1pm.
The entire ceremony will be broadcast live on BBC1 beginning at 10am. It will also be available to stream through the day on BBC iPlayer.
The public broadcaster will also show highlights from the parade on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer from 6:10pm, according to the Daily Mail.
