All you need to know about Trooping the Colour, King Charles’s official birthday parade
King Charles III officially turns 76 on November 14, but each June, the public also marks his “official birthday”
Being a king comes with its privileges, and one of them is celebrating your birthday twice a year.
King Charles III officially turns 76 on November 14, but each June, the public also marks his “official birthday” with one of Britain’s most iconic royal spectacles, called Trooping the Colour.
This year, the second Trooping of King Charles’s reign is set for Saturday, June 15, featuring military pageantry, a royal procession, and the famous Buckingham Palace balcony appearance.
While King Charles II (1630–1685) is said to have inspired the idea, it wasn’t formalized until 1748 during King George II’s reign.
Born in November, George II wasn’t keen on cold-weather celebrations, so the British Army’s annual summer parade was repurposed to mark the monarch’s official birthday.
Since then, every British sovereign has carried on the custom, regardless of when their actual birthday falls.
What is Trooping the Colour?
Trooping the Colour is a deep-rooted military tradition. The term “colour” refers to regimental flags, and in battlefield history, troops were trained to recognize and rally around them.
To ensure soldiers remembered their unit’s colours, flags were regularly “trooped” in front of the ranks. This ritual evolved into the modern-day parade that marks the monarch’s official birthday.
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