Being the king of England has many advantages, among them the ability to celebrate your birthday twice a year. In addition to his actual birth date, November 14, Charles III is honored each summer with a military parade known as Trooping the Colour. In 2026, the fourth year on the throne of the monarch, the grand celebrations in central London will take place on Saturday, June 13. It is one of the key dates on the royal calendar, which always gives us viral moments, such as when in 2022 Prince Louis covered his ears as planes flew over Buckingham.
The tradition that the British monarch has both a real birthday and an official birthday dates back to King Charles II, who sat on the throne between 1660 and 1685. In 1748, it was decided that this parade would be used to commemorate the monarch’s official birthday, and Trooping the Colour became an annual event during the reign of King George III. The reason the official festivities take place in June is also quite practical, since the weather in the United Kingdom is better at that time.
The origins of the ceremony go back to the battlefield, when regimental banners (known as colours) served as reference points for soldiers. Today, Trooping the Colour is a huge military display that showcases the strength and precision of the British Armed Forces as they pay homage to their commander-in-chief. In 2026, the King’s Company of the Grenadier Guards will present their colours to Charles III for inspection, in a symbolic demonstration that they are ready for battle.
The Trooping the Colour will be another opportunity to see together the senior members of the royal family, just a week after the wedding of Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling. On this occasion, however, the Buckingham Palace balcony is expected to be emptier than ever. Gone are the days when the Windsors and their more distant relatives crowded the best spot to watch the RAF jets, by explicit wish of Charles III and his idea of a “slimmed-down” monarchy.
The New Trooping the Colour of Charles III
More than 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians will deliver an impressive display of military precision, riding, and fanfare to celebrate the official birthday of King Charles. All of this for the greater glory of a Trooping the Colour in which, since the start of his reign, Charles III has introduced subtle but significant changes. One of the most evident is that, except in his first year as monarch in 2023, he has opted to travel with Queen Camilla in a carriage instead of on horseback, as was traditional.
The Prince and Princess of Wales and their children during the Trooping the Colour.
The most visible change is the reduction of senior Windsor members on the Buckingham Palace balcony, in line with the fact that the British monarchy has fewer active members on the payroll. Today, the balcony is reserved exclusively for King Charles and Queen Camilla, Princess Anne and Sir Timothy Laurence, the Dukes of Edinburgh, the Princes of Wales, the Dukes of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent.
Neither Prince Harry nor his wife Meghan Markle is expected to attend, having not participated in the Trooping the Colour since 2020. The attendance of Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie is in doubt after the sisters were barred from participating in the traditional carriage procession of Royal Ascot next week. A decision prompted by the links with Jeffrey Epstein of their parents, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson.
The Princes of Wales and the Generational Handover
The fact that there are fewer members of the royal family appearing in the Buckingham Palace balcony photos has another goal: to put the spotlight on the generational handover. Once again, the cameras will closely follow the three children of Prince William and Kate Middleton: George, 12, Charlotte, 11, and Louis, 8. They will again be the main stars of the parade.
Charles III thus emphasizes the importance of the vertical line of succession. For the institution, these are the people who truly matter: the current King, the heir, and the future monarchs. Beyond this branch of the family tree, lesser members of the royal family continue to attend the festivities inside the palace and watch the aerial parade from a private balcony in the inner courtyard.
