Images from Trooping the Colour. King Charles, cheered by thousands. Surprise of the day: Little Prince Louis
Members of the British royal family joined the public in London on Saturday for the “Trooping the Color” festivities, the event marking the birthday of King Charles III, according to the BBC.
The event is one of the biggest royal and military spectacles of the year, culminating in a flyover by the Red Arrows, the acrobatic team of the royal forces.
The military parade takes place every year around this time, although the monarch's birthday is in November. This tradition of holding the parade in June was established by the British sovereigns to benefit from favorable weather conditions, thus avoiding the unstable weather during autumn.
On the balcony of Buckingham Palace, alongside King Charles and Queen Camilla, were the Prince and Princess of Wales with their children. The balcony appearance showed the succession to the throne, with King Charles standing alongside two future monarchs, Prince William and Prince George.
Eight-year-old Prince Louis calmly chatted with his parents during the flight, displaying a disciplined demeanor unlike his past years.
Ahead of the balcony moment, the royal couple traveled the route between Buckingham Palace and Horse Guards Parade in a convertible carriage. King Charles and Queen Camilla used the Ascot Landau carriage, manufactured during the reign of Queen Victoria, to pass the people gathered along The Mall.
Trooping the Color is an annual military ceremony involving over 1,400 members of the armed forces, 200 horses and 400 musicians. The event features the flags, known as 'Colours', of a different regiment in the British Army each year. The name of the ceremony comes from the name given to these regimental flags.
