The annual celebration of the King’s birthday will see an array of military aircraft fly over London
The annual Trooping the Colour to celebrate the King’s birthday is set to take place this weekend. The King’s Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards will troop their Colour in the presence of His Majesty The King on Saturday (June 13). Taking part will be over 1350 soldiers of the Household Division and King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, including over 300 musicians from the Massed Bands.
Charles’ actual birthday is November 14. The Sovereign’s official birthday is marked by the ceremony of Trooping the Colour, which this year falls on Saturday.
The ceremony of Trooping the Colour is believed to have been first held during the reign of King Charles II, who ruled from 1660 to 1685. In 1748, it was decided that this parade would mark the Sovereign’s official birthday. It became an annual event after George III ascended to the throne in 1760. Guards taking part are drawn from the Regiments of the Sovereign’s Household Troops. It has become the practice for Regiments of Foot Guards to troop their Colour in turn.
Where will the planes fly past in London
The iconic planes will pass over landmarks such as Buckingham Palace, The Mall and St. James’ Park. The Mall is the top spot for seeing the Royal Family and the return procession, but it gets extremely busy. To view the flypast, head to the Buckingham Palace gates for the best view.
You can also get a chance to see the balcony appearance at 1pm. For those focusing on the Royal Family and the flypast, arrive at Buckingham Palace gates by 8.30am, watch the return procession, and see the balcony appearance and RAF flypast at 1pm. For a military parade focus, arrive at St James’s Park or Horse Guards area by 8.30am.
Exact timing
The planes will take off from East Anglia from 11am. It is expected that the Red Arrows and the rest of the military aircraft will overfly Bucking Palace at 1pm.The official Red Arrows route has not yet been announced, but we will update you as soon as we know.
The route
The planes will take off from East Anglia, over the North Sea, and head for Lowestoft, Great Yarmouth, and Southwold. The planes will then fly over Ipswich, Colchester, Chelmsford, and London, then head west, flying over Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire.
What planes are involved
There is an array of planes involved in the flypast, which is always a spectacle. A formal confirmation of the planes involved hasn’t been confirmed yet, but at a rehearsal, a selection of planes were seen. The rehearsal took place on Tuesday, June 2.
During the rehearsal, a Chinook, Phenom, A400M Atlas, C-17 Globemaster, Voyager, Typhoon, Poseidon, two further Typhoons and two F-35B Lightnings flew over Suffolk’s coast.
How to watch
It will be broadcast all day on BBC One if you are not able to get down. Members of the public can watch the parade from the stands on Horse Guards Parade but tickets are sold out now.
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