The Trooping of the Colour
The 1st Battalion Welsh Guards will Troop their Colour in the presence of His Majesty The King on Saturday 17th June 2023. Taking part will be over 1350 soldiers of the Household Division and King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, including over 300 musicians from the Massed Bands. Trooping the Colour reviewed by His Majesty The King also includes 250 soldiers from the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, the 1st Battalion Irish Guards and, for the first time, the 1st Battalion London Guards (the Foot Guards’ Reserve Unit), who will line the processional route along The Mall.
The Trooping of the Colour Schedule
- Trooping the Colour will start from Horse Guards Parade from 10am on Saturday, June 17.
- The parade is set to last for two hours, with the parade ending at 12.25pm. when the royals will then head to the balcony at Buckingham Palace.
- The RAF flypast scheduled for approximately 1pm.The Trooping the Colour parade route extends from Buckingham Palace along The Mall to Horse Guards Parade, and back again.
Those without tickets, to the seated stands, can choose a spot on The Mall or on the edge of St James’s Park overlooking Horse Guards to watch the parade from the sidelines.
The Topping of the Colour History
The ceremony of Trooping the Colour is believed to have been first performed during the reign of King Charles II, who was Monarch from 1660 to 1685. In 1748 it was decided that this parade would be used to mark the official birthday of the Sovereign. It became an annual event after George III became King in 1760. Guards taking part are drawn from the Regiments of the Sovereign’s Household Troops; it has become the practice for Regiments of Foot Guards to troop their Colour in turn.
His Majesty’s actual birthday is 14th November. The Sovereign’s official birthday is marked by the ceremony of Trooping the Colour, which this year falls on 17th June 2023, six weeks after The King’s Coronation. 2023 will mark the first Kings Birthday Parade for 72 years. The last King’s Birthday Parade (for King George VI) was conducted in 1951 and attended by The Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II); the last Sovereign’s Birthday Parade physically attended by a King of England (King George VI) was in 1950.
The Trooping of the Colour has marked the official birthday of the British Sovereign for over 260 years. Trooping the Colour The custom of Trooping the Colour dates back to the time of Charles II in the 17th. Century when the Colours of a regiment were used as a rallying point in battle and were therefore trooped in front of the soldiers every day to make sure that every man could recognise those of his own regiment.
Celebrating the official birthday of the British Sovereign for over 260 years, annually on the second Saturday of June with the Trooping the Colour ceremony, taking place on June 10 this year. This two-century-old impressive display of pageantry is a grandiose parade with the King’s troops, The Household Division, on Horse Guards and His Majesty the King attending and taking the salute.
The streets are lined with crowds waving flags as the parade moves from Buckingham Palace and down The Mall to Horse Guard’s Parade, alongside Members of the Royal Family on horseback and in carriages.
The display closes with an RAF fly-past, watched by Members of the Royal Family from Buckingham Palace balcony.
How to Watch “The Trooping the Colour” Live
Members of the public can watch the parade from the stands on Horse Guards Parade by applying for tickets through the online ballot.
Alternatively, a limited view can be obtained by standing on The Mall or on the edge of St James’s Park overlooking Horse Guards Parade from 9.00am, noting that the view from these positions may be obscured by troops on parade. These public vantage points are indicated with black dotted lines on the map.
The parade begins at Horse Guards Parade at 10.00am and will finish by 12.25pm. On the day of the King’s Birthday Parade (17th June), a fly-past by the Royal Air Force will take place at 1.00pm, which can be watched from The Mall.
The King’s Birthday Parade is broadcast live on the BBC in the UK on 17th June 2023.
Tickets
Seated: £30
Wheelchair (+1 companion): £30
There is no group purchase of tickets for multiple events. Tickets for each event must be purchased separately.
If you choose to print your tickets, please be careful with them when attending the event for which you have booked as we are not liable for lost or stolen tickets and cannot replace them.
You can find full details on how you can watch the Trooping the Colour Parade, including how to apply for places in the seated stands at Horse Guard’s Parade, on the
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