Overview
- The Trooping the Colour parade on Saturday, June 13, 2026 saw King Charles III inspect the Household Division while the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards trooped the King’s Colour he presented earlier in the week.
- More than 1,400 soldiers, about 200 horses and over 400 musicians took part in the procession from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade, which ended with senior royals on the palace balcony watching an RAF flypast.
- The King and Queen processed in an Ascot Landau and the King wore the Grenadier Guards uniform for the inspection, while Prince William rode on horseback and the Princess of Wales travelled in a carriage with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
- Coverage stressed that the balcony line-up was limited to core working royals, with several non-working or estranged family members absent, attracting comment about which relatives represent the monarchy publicly.
- Commentators and a former royal butler suggested that future monarchs could review long-standing practices such as the separate ‘official’ birthday, but any change would be discretionary and remains speculative at this stage.