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Trooping the Colour

Trooping the Colour is a ceremonial event performed every year on Horse Guards Parade in London, United Kingdom, by regiments of Household Division, to celebrate the official birthday of the British sovereign.[1] It is also known as the Sovereign's Birthday Parade. Similar events are held in other countries of the Commonwealth. In the UK, it is, with the State Opening of Parliament, the biggest event of the ceremonial calendar, and watched by millions on TV and on the streets of London.

Historically, colours were once used on the battlefield as a rallying point. They display the battle honours of a regiment and are a focal point of Trooping the Colour. The ceremony has marked the sovereign's official birthday since 1748. Each year, one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the Household Division is selected to slowly troop (carry) its colour through the ranks of guards, who stand with arms presented. During the slow march-past, the colours are lowered before the monarch and during the quick march-past the colours fly. The monarch will salute the colours in return.


During the ceremony, the monarch processes down the Mall from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade in a royal procession with a Sovereign's Escort of Household Cavalry (mounted troops or horse guards). After receiving a royal salute, the monarch inspects his troops of the Household Division and the King's Troop. Music is provided by the massed bands of the Foot Guards and the mounted Band of the Household Cavalry, together with a Corps of Drums, and pipers, totalling approximately 400 musicians. Once obtained, the colour is displayed at the head of the march past the sovereign in slow and quick time, by the Foot Guards, the Household Cavalry, and the King's Troop. (The latter two elements, being mounted, conduct a walk-past and a trot-past.)


Returning to Buckingham Palace, the monarch surveys a further march-past from outside the gates. Following a 41-gun salute by the King's Troop in Green Park, the royal family make an appearance on the palace balcony for a Royal Air Force flypast.[note 1]

The Sovereign inspects first the and then the Household Cavalry and King's Troop, to slow and quick march music respectively.

Foot Guards

Then the massed bands "troop" before the Sovereign in slow and quick time. A lone drummer breaks away to no 1 Guard.

Drummer's Call signals No. 1 Guard – the Escort for the Colour – to march to the centre of the field and obtain their colour from the Colour Party. The massed bands execute the "" manoeuvre.

Spin Wheel

As "Escort to the Colour", No. 1 Guard then slowly troops its regimental colour through the ranks of Guards Nos. 6–2.

After forming divisions, Nos. 1–6 Guards march past the Sovereign in slow and quick time.

To music from the mounted band, The leads the Household Cavalry past the Sovereign, first in walk-march and then in sitting-trot (i.e., slow and quick time for the horses). The mounted band then salute the Sovereign as they walk off.

King's Troop

Finally, led by the Sovereign's Escort, the massed bands play the Sovereign back to Buckingham Palace, the foot guards following, as the King's Troop leaves Horse Guards first to Green Park.

Nos. 1-5 Guards align in two ranks on the west side of the parade ground facing Horse Guards Building.

No. 6 Guard lines up perpendicular to them on the north side, thus making an "L" shape. Up to eight Guards companies may take part. Nos. 7 and 8 Guards, if present, would line up next to No. 6 Guard. In 2009, to reflect the successful recruitment efforts of the Irish Guards, there were seven Guards on .[20]

Horseguards

The massed bands are on the south side, by the gardens of .

10 Downing Street

Adjacent to No. 6 Guard is the Colour Party made up of 3 soldiers. A snare drummer joins them in the march on. As the party takes its place the drummer marches off and the colour's casing is removed, revealing the colour to be trooped.

The King's Troop, the Household Cavalry, and their mounted band form up behind Nos. 1-5 Guards.

[note 2]

Grenadier Guards: , composed for the First Guards (Grenadier Guards) by Handel. It was presented by Handel to the Regiment before its inclusion in his opera Scipione which was first performed in 1726. (The title and composer's name are anglicised by the Regiment.)[26]

"The March from Scipio"

Coldstream Guards: (the tune is "Non piu andrai" from Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro)

"Figaro"

Scots Guards: "" Lyrics and Music

The Garb of Old Gaul

Irish Guards: "Let Erin Remember" and Music

Lyrics

Welsh Guards: "" Lyrics and Music.

Men of Harlech

Below are links to words and music of the regimental marches of the five foot guards regiments.


Slow marches


Quick marches Music for all five regiments' quick marches

List of marches of the British Armed Forces

Winston (horse)

Beating Retreat

Presentation of Colours

Thai Royal Guards parade

including the largest marksmen parade in Germany

Hanover Schützenfest

Bavarian march used in similar circumstances

Bayerischer Defiliermarsch

Her Majesty The Queen's Birthday Parade. Saturday 17 June 2006 and 16 June 2007. Official programme.

n.a. The Guards : Changing of the Guard, Trooping the Colour, The Regiments. Norwich: Jarrold Publishing, 2005. A Pitkin Guide. (This revised edition published 1990. Originally published by Macmillan Press Ltd., 1972)  0-85372-476-8.

ISBN

Trooping the Colour. 1 and 2 television coverage, 11 June 2005, 17 June 2006 and 16 June 2007.

BBC

Binda, Alexandre (2007). Heppenstall, David (ed.). Masodja: The History of the Rhodesian African Rifles and its forerunner the Rhodesian Native Regiment. Johannesburg: 30° South Publishers.  978-1-920143-03-9.

ISBN

Binda, Alexandre (2008). The Saints: The Rhodesian Light Infantry. Johannesburg: 30° South Publishers.  978-1-920143-07-7.

ISBN

Household Division Ceremonial Events

Details of the sovereign's birthday parade from 1895 to date

Photos from Trooping the Colour 2006 from the official 80th birthday site of the Queen

Order of Trooping the Colour

Information about the Trooping the Colour from the UK Army homepage

Prince William in first Trooping the Colour parade

2013 Trooping the Colour parade

Behind The Scenes At Trooping The Colour With The King's Troop

The Sovereign's Parade, April 1985

(13 June 2014). "Trooping the Colour: 6 life lessons you can learn from the drill square". The Daily Telegraph.

Critchlow, Andrew