Trooping the Colour: Royal Family weekend in pictures

It's been a busy few days for the Royal Family with the celebration of the Trooping the Colours and Father's Day. 

Members of the Royal Family came together to mark The King’s official birthday with the annual Trooping the Colour Parade on Saturday, June 15, showcasing the best of military pageantry and celebrating the Monarch’s links to the Armed Forces.

The King’s Birthday Parade is essentially a ‘gift’ from the British Army’s Household Division to His Majesty to mark his birthday. Held traditionally on the second Saturday in June, regardless of the Sovereign’s actual date of birth, the parade is an opportunity for the household division to demonstrate their professional excellence and loyalty to the Crown.

King Charles III during Trooping the Colour at Horse Guards Parade on June 15, 2024 in London, England.

As is tradition, The King wore the tunic of the Guard of Honour Order, the Irish Guards. Their Majesties travelled to the Parade in the Scottish State Coach: one of the oldest in the Royal Mews. The Princess of Wales travelled with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis in the Glass Coach.

The Prince of Wales, The Princess Royal and The Duke of Edinburgh attended the parade on horseback, riding Darby, Noble and Sir John respectively  Hundreds of military working horses and more than a thousand soldiers of the British Army’s Household Division delivered the parade itself. 

King Charles III and Queen Camilla during Trooping the Colour at Horse Guards Parade on June 15, 2024 in London, England.

The honour to Troop their Colour rotates through the five regiments of Foot Guards, and this year it lay with Number 9 Company Irish Guards. The Irish Guards were raised by Queen Victoria in 1900 and have provided almost 125 years of service to the Monarchy and the nation.

This is however the first time that one of the Irish Guards Public Duties Companies willTroop Their Colour on a Sovereign’s Birthday Parade and the first time that the Irish Guards have trooped in front of The King.

Recognisable on ceremonial operations by the St Patrick’s blue of the plumes in their bearskins, the Irish Guards traditionally comprise troops from the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Liverpool and Birmingham, as well as Fiji, the wider Commonwealth and the rest of the UK.

The Irish Guards are alone amongst the Household Division in having a Regimental Mascot, an Irish Wolfhound, who took his place at the front of the Regiment and led the Band of the Irish Guards, and the Drums and Pipes of the Irish Guards onto Horse Guards parade.

After the parade on Horse Guards, the Irish Guards marched up The Mall as part of the Royal Procession. The Trooping of their Colour completed, they then immediately took over responsibility as the new King’s Guard at Buckingham Palace for the next 24 hours.

Sunday, June 16, then marked Father's Day and the Royal Family celebrated by sharing sweet tributes to Prince William and King Charles.