Trooping the Colour

Trooping the Colour, traditional observance of the British monarch’s official birthday with a military ceremony and parade in London. Irrespective of the actual day upon which the sovereign was born, a Saturday in June is annually set aside to celebrate the monarch’s birth with pomp, pageantry, and music. The time of year was established in the expectation of pleasant weather.

Although the origins of trooping the colour as a military ceremony are somewhat uncertain, some find its antecedent in the Roman army’s practice of parading a legion’s standard, or flag, in camp in the evening. From early times, in combat, troops used their unit’s standard for orientation or as a rallying point. There are varying accounts of how and when (some accounts say before battle; others say at the end of the day) the standard was “trooped,” or carried past the ranks of soldiers so that they might more easily identify it in the heat of the fight. As a British practice that is recognizable as a forerunner of the modern ceremony of trooping the colour, the ritual probably dates from the 17th century.

The modern ceremony is also related to the practice, begun in the 18th century, of “mounting the guard” when the monarch is in residence (generally in London). Trooping the colour was a part of that ceremony. The connection of trooping the colour with the monarch’s birthday is usually cited as having originated in 1748, during the reign of George II. Edward VII is believed to have been the first sovereign to receive the salute in person.

1 of 2

2 of 2

The modern ceremony is held at Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall in the presence of the sovereign and each year involves one of the five Household Regiments—Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish, and Welsh guards, all which are operation-ready. After the monarch receives a royal salute and inspects the troops, the massed royal military bands perform the main musical program, and the regimental colour is trooped. The Foot Guards and the Household Cavalry then march past the sovereign, followed by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery. The monarch then rides at the head of the household guards in a parade up the Mall to Buckingham Palace. There the sovereign accepts a salute from a dais before retiring to the palace balcony with the royal family to watch a flyover by the Royal Air Force. The event has been held annually since the accession of George IV, though there have been occasions when it was preempted, notably during World War II and in 1955, when a rail strike disrupted transportation.