The Queen was celebrating her official birthday today with a spectacular Trooping the Colour parade.\nJoined by all the adult senior royals, she inspected 1,000 soldiers of the Household Division at Horse Guards Parade in central London.
\nThe Queen arrived in an Ascot Landau carriage after the short drive down The Mall from Buckingham Palace, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh.
\nWearing a powder blue satin silk coat, dress and hat with navy trim, all by Angela Kelly, with a Brigade of Guards brooch, the Queen then rode alone in the carriage – the first time she has ridden in it for this ceremony – to inspect her troops.
\nThe Prince of Wales, who is Colonel of the Welsh Guards, the Princess Royal, who is Colonel of the Blues and Royals, and the Duke of Cambridge, Colonel of the Irish Guards, were all on horseback for the ceremony.
\nThe Duchess of Cambridge, in an outfit similar in colour to that of the Queen, arrived in a coach alongside the Duchess of Cornwall, who was in peach.
\nThere was no sign of Prince George of Cambridge.
\n The Colour being paraded on Horse Guards this year was the flag of Nijmegen Company Grenadier Guards.
\nIt is the first time since 2005 that the Grenadiers have not been on operations in Afghanistan, about to deploy to the country or recently returned from Helmand Province.
\nFour of the five Foot Guards regiments of the Household Division – the Welsh Guards, Grenadier Guards, Scots Guards and the Coldstream Guards – marched in the parade wearing their traditional bearskin hats and red tunics.
\nThe Queen\u2019s actual birthday was on April 21, when she turned 88.
\nThe Household Division Bands and Corps of Drums also took part in the event, along with the King\u2019s Troop Royal Horse Artillery.
\nMajor General Edward Smyth-Osbourne, commander of the Household Division, said: \u2018This year the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War is particularly poignant as we honour those who served, remember those who died and strive to ensure that the lessons learnt live with us forever.
\n\u2018It is also the 70th anniversary of the Normandy Campaign and the subsequent liberation of Nijmegen, the action for which this year\u2019s Escort is named.
\n \u2018Next year is the 200th anniversary of Waterloo, the battle at which the Grenadiers earned their name.
\n\u2018The Household Division Regiments have played their part in the momentous events of the past and, I am confident, stand ready for whatever we face in the future.\u2019
\nPrince Harry\u2019s appearance at the Trooping ceremony comes months after he gave up his role as an Apache helicopter co-pilot gunner for a military desk job with responsibilities that include organising major ceremonial events involving the Army.
\nBut he has not been involved in planning the Trooping the Colour event.
\nA huge crowd later descended on Buckingham Palace, where senior royals appeared on the balcony to cheers.
\nBut there was again no sign of Prince George with his parents.
\nThe King\u2019s Troop Royal Horse Artillery provided a 41-gun salute in Green Park to mark the Queen\u2019s official birthday before the royals appeared for the traditional RAF flypast.
\nAmong the 28 aircraft which buzzed over the royal residence were 13 different types, from Spitfires and a Lancaster bomber of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and a DC3 Dacota with D-Day stripes, days after the 70th anniversary of the Normandy Landings. They were followed by modern Typhoon fighter jets, the Red Arrows aerobatic team and the RAF\u2019s largest transport aircraft, Voyager.
\nPrince William took part in his first Trooping the Colour in 2011 after he was appointed Colonel of the Irish Guards.
\nPrince Charles takes part in the parade as Colonel of the Welsh Guards, while Princess Anne is Colonel of the Blues and Royals.
\nTrooping the Colour originated from traditional preparations for battle.
\nColours, or flags, were carried, or \u2018trooped\u2019, down the rank so that it could be seen and recognised by the soldiers.In the 18th century, guards from the royal palaces assembled daily on Horse Guards to \u2018troop the colours\u2019, and in 1748 it was announced that the parade would also mark the Sovereign\u2019s official birthday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"