Trooping The Colour- A Royal Birthday Celebration

Tens of thousands of cheering Royal enthusiasts flocked to Whitehall to see the Royals mingle  on the balcony for 2018’s spectacular Trooping the Colour ceremony…

While most people get just one birthday celebration, the Queen gets two - her actual birthday is April 21st, but her “official” birthday is usually the second Saturday in June, an event celebrated with the more than 1,000 soldiers taking part in the traditional display of pomp and pageantry known as Trooping the Colour. Trooping the Colour is a ceremonial spectacle that brings together prestigious regiments and the families of the serving men and women in celebration of the Monarch’s official birthday.

The tradition is actually linked to the unreliable British weather, because the Royal Family wanted to hold the grand Royal birthday parade in the summer.

Although the origins of Trooping the Colour as a military ceremony are somewhat uncertain, many believe it has its roots 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.

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. He was born on November 9, but his official birthday was always marked in May and June during his reign.