King Charles's birthday parade set to go ahead despite upcoming General Election
The army confirmed The Trooping of the Colour will go ahead
PA
King Charles’s birthday parade is set to go ahead despite the upcoming General Election.
The army has confirmed that the annual celebration, Trooping the Colour, will take place on Saturday, June 15.
After the announcement of the General Election last week, there was speculation as to whether the King’s parade would still go ahead.
The Royal Family issued a statement saying that engagements will be postponed that “may appear to divert attention or distract from the election campaign.”
The army confirmed The Trooping of the Colour will go ahead
PA
However, on Tuesday evening it was confirmed that the Number 9 Company, Irish Guards, had been chosen to troop their colour.
Princess Kate would usually be expected to take part in The Colonel’s Review a week before the Trooping.
However, the princess’s ongoing cancer treatment means it is unlikely that she will be in attendance.
The British Army confirmed that almost a thousand soldiers and around 240 horses will perform a “khaki rehearsal” on Thursday in London.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla wave as they watch the fly-past on the Buckingham Palace balconyGETTYThe rehearsal will take place in front of 1,000 people as a test for the soldiers and horses who have not rehearsed in public.
The annual Trooping the Colour event has marked the official birthday of the British monarch for over 260 years.
Charles’s actual birthday is November 24, however, just like the late Queen, the King celebrates his birthday on two occasions.
During the parade, the King is expected to travel by carriage instead of horseback amid his cancer treatment.
King Charles is expected to travel by carriage rather than horseback this year
GettyLATEST ROYAL NEWS:
The Royal Family during Trooping the Colour in 2023GettyBuckingham Palace and the Ministry of Defence were exploring ways in which the monarch could take part in the event while avoiding any undue risk to his health.
The options included watching the ceremony from a podium rather than on horseback and being driven from Buckingham Palace in a carriage.
Buckingham Palace sources said it was “most likely” that Charles would travel via carriage, although a final decision was yet to be made.
The King will then join other senior members of the Royal Family on the palace balcony for the traditional RAF flypast.