Army

Grenadier Guards troop Colour before the King with all three services present for first time

Mike Morton

15th June 2026 at 11:27am

King Charles returns the salute while being driven down The Mall in his carriage - Queen Camilla's Grenadier Guards ensemble was made for her specially for the occasion

The street liners, including these gunners from the RAF Regiment, assembled at Wellington Barracks before marching out to take up their stations

Despite being infanteers, the Grenadier Guards officers were mounted on horseback, something that traditionally would have afforded them a better view of the battlefield

While all five regiments of the Foot Guards are known for their bearskin caps, not all those formed up among the Grenadier Guards were wearing one

As the Guardsmen do an eyes right as they pass the podium from which the monarch is returning their salute, the Colour is flourished in front of the King

The right-hand marker protects the Colour, holding his SA80 L85 at the high ready position while the remainder of his guardsmen present arms

In what is believed to be a first for Trooping the Colour, the Royal Navy was represented by a 92-strong contingent whose role was to line The Mall during the procession from Buckingham Palace and back again

While this year it was the turn of King's Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards to troop their Colour, the event included soldiers from the entire Household Division, including this officer from The Life Guards

Soldiers from The King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery fired a 41-gun salute with their historic 13-pounders for the King's Birthday Parade

Meanwhile at the Tower of London, reservists from the Honourable Artillery Company assembled at the Gun Park on Tower Wharf to fire a 62-gun salute with their L118 Light Guns

The King's Birthday Parade ended with a flypast by numerous RAF aircraft, this being the C-17 Globemaster III, which provides the service with a long-range strategic heavy-lift capability

The Red Arrows joined in the flypast over Buckingham Palace using nine Hawk T1s - while their flypasts this season will continue to use all nine jets, their aerobatic displays are being cut to just seven Hawks

The King's Birthday Parade, also known as Trooping the Colour and one of the most significant events in the ceremonial calendar, has gone off without a hitch – and with all three services taking part for the first time.

Trooping the Colour is a celebration of the monarch's official birthday and serves as an opportunity for the Household Division and the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery to demonstrate their loyalty and commitment to the sovereign.

Saturday's parade showcased the highest standards of military precision, teamwork and self-discipline, and for the first time The Mall was lined not just by soldiers and aviators, but by Royal Navy personnel too.

King's Company

However, the main part of what is an Army-led ceremony belonged to the King and the Grenadier Guards.

This year, guardsmen from 1st Battalion trooped the King's Colour with the Escort belonging to The King's Company, the regiment's most prestigious company and the one with the closest personal ties to the Crown.

The Colour trooped was consecrated and personally presented to the King's Company by His Majesty at Buckingham Palace four days prior to the event.

The King's Birthday Parade marked the first time it appeared in public, attended by around 1,500 soldiers and hundreds of horses from the Household Division.

They carried out a series of complex drill manoeuvres to a spectacular programme of music, specially composed and arranged to complement the Grenadier Guards.

The event was brought to a close with a 41-Gun Salute in Green Park, a 62-Gun Salute at the Tower of London and an impressive flypast of military aircraft over Buckingham Palace.