Trooping of the Colour

Last Saturday was a very special day in England……

the Queen’s official birthday!

A huge celebration was enjoyed and many people lined the streets to see it.

The Trooping of the Colour is held at Horse Guards Parade in London which is a bit of a carriage ride away from Buckingham Palace where the Queen resides.  Many Royals jump into carriages and are paraded down the Mall and over to Horse Guards Parade.

But some of them ride on horseback which is what Prince William and Prince Charles did this year.

Prince Harry, not being a “royal colonel”, which is a position given by the Queen to a member of the royal family that serves as Colonel-in-Cheif of a regiment in the British army or navy, has to ride in a carriage and not on horseback.   However, not all royal colonels get to ride on horseback during Trooping the Color.

As we know, the English do “pomp” very well and have all sorts of protocol that they follow in order to get it right.   This day, in particular, shows off this pomp!    The Trooping of the Colour is a ceremony that is performed by the British armies and has been a tradition since the 17th century.  Since 1748 Trooping the Colour, or flag, has marked the official birthday of the British sovereign.

After the Royals have witnessed the Trooping of the Colour, they head back to Buckingham Palace’s balcony and watch a British Air Force flypast.

It is not always the most interesting thing for the littlest of them and it seems that his Dad had to have a few words with him …

…but his smile was quickly back on his sweet face.

This year, everyone was there.   Well, everyone except Meghan Markle!  We will see what the future holds for Harry and Meghan!

What joy!  Abundant joy, for sure!