Military pomp and pageantry will be on display to mark the King’s “official” birthday but the event will also remember those killed in the Air India plane crash this week.
The King has requested a minute’s silence be observed in tribute to the 241 passengers and crew killed, and others affected, when a Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for Gatwick Airport came down on Thursday (June 12) in the Indian city of Ahmedabad.
Black armbands will also be worn by the head of state and senior royals riding in the ceremony, also known as the King’s Birthday Parade, staged in Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall.
This year marks the third Trooping the Colour of His Majesty’s reign.
📷 Prince Charles, aged 3, attends his first Trooping the Colour in 1951, riding in a carriage with his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and aunt, Princess Margaret.
📷 Prince Charles, held by… pic.twitter.com/prqDeci2Yb
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) June 14, 2025
On horseback and wearing the armbands will be the Royal Colonels – Prince of Wales, Colonel of the Welsh Guards, the Princess Royal, Colonel Blues and Royals, and the Duke of Edinburgh, Colonel Scots Guards.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said the King requested amendments to the Trooping the Colour programme “as a mark of respect for the lives lost, the families in mourning and all the communities affected by this awful tragedy”.
But ahead of the occasion on Saturday morning, what exactly is Trooping the Colour? This is all you need to know.
What is Trooping the Colour?
As the birthday celebrations for the reigning King or Queen usually take place outdoors, Trooping the Colour takes place each June if the member of the royal family in charge wasn’t born in the summer months of the year.
The King’s official birthday is on November 14, and towards the end of 2025, he will be 77 years old.
Trooping the Colour will see more than 1400 parading soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians come together in a “great display of military precision, horsemanship and fanfare to mark the Sovereign’s official birthday,” reports The Royal Family’s website.
It adds: “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.”
Additionally, Trooping the Colour will see more than 1,000 servicemen taking part in the military display who when not performing ceremonial duties are fighting soldiers.
Which regiment will Troop the Colour in 2025?
The colour – regimental flag – being trooped this year is the King’s Colour of Number 7 Company, Coldstream Guards, a prestigious regiment known as the sovereign’s bodyguard which is celebrating its 375th anniversary this year.
For today’s event, the Queen, the Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Edinburgh are expected to be among the royal party watching the event and royal fans will hope Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis will join them as they did in 2024.
Members of the royal family not taking part in the parade and who normally watch events from the Duke of Wellington’s former office will not wear black armbands.
What time is Trooping the Colour today? See when it’s on TV
Trooping the Colour: The King’s Birthday Parade will air on BBC One and iPlayer from 10.30am until 1.10pm.
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The Radio Times summary explains: “Clare Balding introduces live coverage from London, as the Coldstream Guards troop their Colour on Horse Guards Parade.
“Marking the King’s official birthday, this event will culminate with the annual RAF flypast and The Royal Family’s iconic balcony appearance.
“Radzi Chinyanganya will be on the ground speaking live to those involved.”
