The date of King Charles’ first official birthday parade has been confirmed for next summer and other family members including the Queen consort will step up for military ceremonial roles.
The tradition of having a summer Birthday Parade also known as Trooping the Colour will continue with King Charles. It will be held on 17 June in central London, although his actual birthday is on 14 November.
Regiments of the Household Division which take place on Horse Guards Parade along the Mall and in front of Buckingham Palace are part of the display of military pageantry.
Colonel-in-Chief of the Regiments of the Household Division is the monarch, however the palace has shared that other female members of the family will be taking new roes as colonels for some of the other regiments.
The Queen consort will gain the ceremonial post of Colonel of the Grenadier Guards. This comes after the title was removed from Prince Andrew when he was stripped of his royal titles earlier this year, when it was returned to the late Queen.
The Princess of Wales will become Colonel of the Irish Guards, a role which was previously held by her husband Prince William, he take the Colonel of the Welsh Guards title from his father.
During Trooping The Colour, King Charles and Prince William will ride on horsebacks while other members of the royal family including the Princess of Wales and Queen Consort will be watching from carriages and the Buckingham Palace balcony.
The event will take place weeks after the King’s coronation on 6 May.
Why does the monarch have two birthdays?
The tradition started with the Queen’s distant relative, King George II, who wanted to throw a public celebration for his birthday so gifted himself an extra celebration day in the summer (when the weather is more appropriate for a public parade).
There was some speculation about whether King Charles would continue the tradition and as his actual birthday is in November, he’s decided to.
It’s unclear whether William will also have two birthdays when he eventually takes the throne, since his birthday is already in June.
Do we get a day off?
In 2022, the Trooping the Colour parade was on a Thursday and kicked off the platinum jubilee long weekend, with Brits given an extra bank holiday.
However, the 17 June 2023 event will return to a Saturday and will no coincide with a bank holiday.