Trooping the Colour is a
huge occasion on the royal calendar each year and – with the
Queen and the royals out in force on the Buckingham Palace balcony,
mischievous royal children and some of the best fashion on display.
It’s a public celebration
which marks the monarch’s official birthday, but this year, things will be
a little different as Her Majesty marks her Platinum Jubilee.
Buckingham Palace
has previously announced that only working royals would join the
Queen on the balcony, such as Prince Charles and Camilla, and Prince
William and Kate. Other members of the Firm, however, will still be part of the
celebrations – just not for the highly anticipated balcony moment.
First
things first though, why does the Queen celebrate her birthday twice?
Why
does the Queen have two birthdays?
Her Majesty celebrates two
birthdays: her actual birthday on 21 April and her official birthday on the
second Saturday of June at Trooping the Colour – but why?
Historically, official
celebrations to mark a sovereign’s birthday have often been held on a day other
than their birthday. This is usually true when their actual birthday does not
land in the summer months. The reason, in typical British fashion, comes down
to the weather.
The tradition started in 1748
with George II, who was born in chilly November. Instead of risking his
subjects catching a cold, he combined his birthday celebration with the annual
spring parade known as Trooping the Colour.
What
is Trooping the Colour?
Over 1400 parading soldiers,
200 horses and 400 musicians come together each June in a great display of
military precision, horsemanship and fanfare to mark the Queen’s official
birthday.
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Crowds line the street to see the parade
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 Queen used to ride horseback, but since
1986, she has travelled in a carriage.
Shutterstock’s royal
photographer Tim Rooke, who have been capturing the royals for over 25 years,
says he captured some of the “nicest family photos” at the
2019 ceremony, where Prince Louis made his adorable debut.
He’s even managed to capture
some incredible off-duty photos of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and
Louis with their royal nanny before the Queen and her family assemble on
the balcony at Buckingham Palace.
He says: “Some of the
kids were in the window of Buckingham Palace waiting with their nanny, watching
as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge came back, so that made some quite fun
pictures, and then once they’re back, then they all come out on the balcony, so
it made some very nice family pictures.”
What
is the history behind Trooping the Colour?
According to the Household
Division, the British Army’s regimental flags were historically described as
‘colours’ because they display the uniform and insignia of the soldiers from
different military units
The army used these flags so
that soldiers could easily spot their unit when they were on the battlefield
because it used to be quite easy to get lost in battle.
Officers would regularly march
up and down in front of soliders, known as ‘trooping,’ with their flags on
displays, known as ‘colours’ so that everyone would know which ones would
belong to which regiment.
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The Queen reviewing the troops with Prince Philip in 2012
The royals have mostly stuck
to tradition when it comes to the format of the ceremony. Tim says: “What
used to happen was the Queen would go down to Horseguards Parade and then the
other members of the royal family would come back and go into the palace and
the Queen would stand outside the gates of the palace and review the soldiers
as they marched past, and the Duke of Edinburgh would stand next to
her.”
While the press pack of
photographers takes up their official position on the Queen Victoria Memorial
in front of Buckingham Palace, Tim reveals there’s also another key spot to
capture the royals.
He said: “One of the
nicest pictures that you can get is if you stand on The Mall outside Clarence
House because all the staff come out and wait outside. When the carriages come
from the palace, there’s interaction between the members of the royal family
between staff and friends, who stand outside Clarence House, so actually that
makes a better picture than the official position.”
Who
attends Trooping the Colour?
Immediate members of Her
Majesty’s family attend, including her four children, Prince
Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward,
and their respective spouses, as well as most of her grandchildren and
great-grandchildren.
In recent years, we’ve
seen Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, make
their debuts at the event, alongside their cousins, Savannah and Isla Phillips.
George and Savannah had one of
the most memorable moments at Trooping the Colour in 2018 when Savannah put her
hand over her cousin’s mouth to stop him from singing.
With the eyes of the world
upon them, the royal children have proved they’re just like any other kids with
their cheeky antics and their awe-struck expressions during the fly-past.
What
do the royals wear to Trooping the Colour?
Fashion is always a talking
point of any major royal event and the Duchess of Cambridge often turns to her
go-to designer, Alexander McQueen, for her outfits, beginning with a cream
ruffled ensemble for her debut at the event in 2011.
The Duchess of
Sussex has appeared at the ceremony twice, opting for a stunning blush
pink off-the-shoulder dress from Carolina Herrera in 2018 and a navy and white
number, designed by her wedding dress designer, Clare Waight Keller of Givenchy
in 2019.
The royal children’s outfits
also get plenty of attention, with Kate and the Countess of
Wessex turning to traditional labels such as British brand, Rachel
Riley, for outfits for their little ones.
Lady Louise Windsor has
been seen in several of Rachel Riley’s classic pieces at Trooping the Colour
over the years, including a mauve and yellow printed dress with a Peter Pan
collar under a matching scalloped cardigan in 2012.
“It makes me feel really
proud, I’m a small business owner and it makes me feel part of British
history,” Rachel said.
“On those formal occasions
like when the royal family are on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, I think
it’s important to make sure their children are wearing timeless and classic
designs that really won’t show their age in future and in photographs that
won’t represent a specific time.”
Throughout the decades, the
royals have been known to borrow their siblings’ clothes or pass down outfits
from generation to generation; in the case of Louis, he wore a blue and white
two-piece that once belonged to his father, William, and uncle, Prince
Harry, at his Trooping the Colour debut.
When
was the first Trooping the Colour?
The first Trooping the Colour
ceremony is believed to have originated during the reign of King Charles II
from 1660 to 1685. However, it wasn’t until 1748 that it was decided that this
parade would be used to mark the official birthday of the sovereign and it
became an annual event after George III became King in 1760.
