Breakaway Destination Guides (International)

Colourful and spectacular as this parade is, it used to be on an even grander scale. The very largest Parade was held on Hyde Park in 1920 when there were 10 complete guards on parade. There was an age when the monarchs of Europe and the noble families from distant lands would gather in London to celebrate an Imperial Birthday.

Trooping the Colour is a ceremony performed by regiments of the Commonwealth and the British Army. It has been a tradition of British infantry regiments since the 17th century, although the roots go back much earlier. On battlefields, a regiment's colours, or flags, were used as rallying points. Consequently, regiments would have their ensigns slowly march with their colours between the soldiers' ranks to enable soldiers to recognise their regiments' colours.

The first traceable mention of The Sovereign's Birthday being 'kept' by the Grenadier Guards is in 1748 and again, after George III became King in 1760, it was ordered that parades should mark the King's Birthday. From the accession of George IV they became, with a few exceptions and notably the two World Wars, an annual event.

Trooping the Colour is an old ceremony whereby the battalion would fall in by companies and the colour-party would "troop" or march the colours through the ranks so that every man would see that the colours were intact. This was done before and after every battle. This ceremony has been retained through time and is today largely ceremonial. They were not held from 1811 to 1820 because of King George III's illness, except in 1813 for the Queen, but from the accession of King George IV they became, with a few exceptions and notably the two World Wars, an annual event. The guards, in the modern ceremony today, are assembled in two ranks, a reminder of Wellington's masterful tactics at Waterloo, a reminder too that these are soldiers that stand to give service for the Sovereign and Nation when called upon to do so.

Since 1987, The Queen has attended in a carriage rather than riding, which she did before that on 36 occasions, riding side-saddle and wearing the uniform of the regiment whose Colour was being trooped. The regiments take their turn for this honour in rotation as operational commitments permit.

Guardsmen bearing marker flags, known as Keepers of the Gound, march on to Horse Guards Parade and mark the positions for each of No.1 to No.6 Guards. These marker flags are the respective company colours of each regiment taking part. The six Foot Guard companies march on to Horse Guards Parade via The Mall preceded by Regimental Bands and form an extended L-Shape around the perimeter of the square. This echoes the defensive formation known as 'The Hollow Square' that, in battle, would have stood to protect the precious Colour.

No.1 Guard is referred to as the 'Escort for the Colour' until it has collected the Colour to be trooped, whereupon it is known as the 'Escort to the Colour'. The Colour Party, consisting of three men, marches to the centre of the parade ground and takes post in front of and to the left of No.6 Guard. The Duty Drummer then marches out and the Colour is uncased. The Massed Bands take up position on the south side of the parade ground. Additional half-companies of Guards line the route from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade.

The King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, the Household Cavalry and the Mounted Bands form up behind No.1 to No.5 Guards either side of the Guards Memorial on the edge of St. James's Park.

The King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, the Household Cavalry and the Mounted Bands form up behind No.1 to No.5 Guards either side of the Guards Memorial on the edge of St. James's Park. After the Guards are formed up, members of the Royal Family arrive in two barouche coaches. No.3 Guard opens ranks to allow the carriages to pass through. The carriages then enter Horse Guards building where their occupants alight to view the ceremony from a room that was once used by The Duke of Wellington as his office.

Her Majesty The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, drive down The Mall in Queen Victoria's 1842 ivory-mounted phaeton drawn by a pair of matched Windsor Grey horses, so named from Victorian times when grey horses were used for drawing private carriages at Windsor. The Postillion is dressed in full State Postillion Livery. The Queen's ceremonial horses are kept at the Royal Mews, where there are currently about 30 horses. The carriage horses draw The Queen's carriages and coaches in State processions and on ceremonial occasions throughout the year. Many of the carriage horses, in addition to their ceremonial duties, have represented Great Britain in national and international carriage driving competitions.

The Queen last rode a horse on a ceremonial occasion at Trooping the Colour in 1986; the horse was a black mare named Burmese. The Sovereign's Escort, consisting of the mounted troops of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment and the Mounted Bands, accompany Her Majesty. The crowd stand in respect as the Queen crosses the parade ground.

The Royal Colonels, who are mounted following the Queen, salute the colour as they pass. The Queen arrives at the dais at exactly 11 o'clock. The Guards present arms whilst the Massed Bands play the National Anthem. There now follows the 'Inspection of the Line' whilst the Massed Bands of the Household Division play patriotic airs from around Britain. The Queen remounts the Phaeton, followed by the mounted Royal Colonels, HRH The Princess Royal, Gold Stick in Waiting and Colonel of the Blues and Royals, HRH The Duke of Kent, Colonel of the Scots Guards, HRH Prince Philip, Colonel of the Grenadier Guards and HRH The Prince of Wales, Colonel of the Welsh Guards. In procession with Her Majesty are also the Master of the Horse, The Crown Equerry, The Equerries in Waiting and The General Officer Commanding London District. The carriage turns before No. 6 Guard to the left of the line. The coachman acknowledges the Colour and the Royal Colonels salute.

Now, The Royal Colonels pass behind No. 6 Guard as Her Majesty makes her way towards the massed mounted bands, the Sovereigns Escort of the Household Cavalry and the Kings Troop, Royal Horse Artillery. The Queen arrives back at the dais and takes her place for the rest of the ceremony.

The Senior Drum Major orders the slow troop of the massed bands to the march 'Les Huguenots' by Meyerbeer, which has been used at this point in the parade since the end of the last century. The massed bands then halt in the centre of the parade ground and, precisely positioned, they march off in quick time. As the Bands and Drums clear the central carriageway, a lone drummer breaks away to take up a position two paces to the right of the 'Escort For the Colour' where he will give the "rummer's Call" to troop the Colour through the ranks. The massed bands halt and the lone drummer plays the drummer's call. This signals a change of command of the Number 1 Guard, referred to as the 'Escort For The Colour', which passes from the Captain to the Subaltern.

An orderly crosses the approach road to take the pace stick from the Regimental Sergeant Major who draws his sword, the only time an RSM will do so on any parade in peacetime. The 'Escort For the Colour' marches off in quick time to the tune the 'British Grenadiers'. No matter which regiment's colour is being trooped, the 'The British Grenadiers' is always used at this point in the parade because the right flank company of every battalion used to be a grenadier company. The Escort marks time whilst the Massed Bands clear the line of march. The Subaltern is now looking for a small white stone 15 paces from the Colour Party where he will halt the Escort.

The RSM marches from the rear of the Escort, sword drawn in symbolic protection of the Colour. He is followed forward by the 'Ensign For the Colour' who will carry the Colour through the ranks of assembled guardsmen. The RSM salutes the Colour, takes a pace forward, receives the Colour in his left hand from the Sergeant of the Colour Party. In turn the Ensign salutes the Colour, sheathes his sword, receives the Colour and places it in his colour belt. He then turns and shows the Colour which will be trooped.

The parade present arms to the strains of the National Anthem.

The Escort now moves through the ranks of the assembled guards in slow time, to the tunes

'Escort to The Colour' and the 'Grenadiers Slow March'

(used to march grenadiers back to barracks after changing the guard). The Massed Bands, at this point, carry out the intricate "Spin Wheel" manoeuvre which appears in no drill book or manual of ceremonial, but is passed down from memory to each new generation of bandsmen. The 'Escort To the Colour', having cleared No. 2 Guard resumes its place on the right of the line. The Escort now presents arms and the parade is then ordered to slope arms and the officers ordered to take posts.

The Guards Officers take their posts. The Colour moves to the rear of the Escort and No's 1 to 5 Guards are ordered to turn about by the mounted 'Adjutant of the Parade'. No's 2 to 5 Guard right form at the halt to music from the Drums. No's 1 to 5 guards now turn about and then all the guards begin their march past in line abreast in slow time. The 'Field Officer in Brigade Waiting' and 'Brigade Major' (who are both mounted) take their places at the head of the troops for the salute.

As each corner of the parade ground is negotiated, the officer orders his company to "prepare to change direction, left" and one of the NCOs positioned on the edges of the front rank of the company, known as the 'Right Guide' or 'Left Guide', will call "Right Sir!" as he reaches the correct position, as a signal to the officer to give the order "Left Form!" ordering the company to change direction.

The Colour is lowered in salute as it passes the Queen at the saluting base. The lowering of the colour is known as the 'Flourish' and the raising of it, after passing the dais, is known as the 'Recover'. As each regiment of foot guards passes the saluting base, the bands play their Regimental Slow Marches. The Regimental Slow Marches are: The Grenadier Guards

The Adjutant (mounted) brings up the rear of the march past. As he clears the saluting base, the Field Officer rides out 10 yards from behind the dais, turns his horse and salutes Her Majesty.

The bands pause momentarily whilst the Field Officer orders the Quick March (15 paces per minute). The Field Officer then rides across to lead the parade again in the March Past in quick time. The Guards then march past to their Regimental Quick Marches. The Regimental Quick Marches are:

The Adjutant again brings up the rear of the parade and the Field Officer rides out once more to salute Her Majesty.

The Massed Bands of the Household Division now make way for the Massed Mounted Bands of the Household Cavalry lead by the two drum horses, Constantine of the Life Guards and Spartacus of the Blues and Royals. The bands play as they walk past, 'Preobrajensky' (named after the famous Russian foot guards). This was a favourite piece of music of Lord Louis Mountbatten, Gold Stick of the Life Guards, and they include it on every Lifeguard troop as a mark of respect.

With the Mounted Bands now positioned opposite the Queen, The King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery roll forward their guns in three sections. Each gun and limber weigh 3.5 tons and each gun saw action in the First World War. The music played as they pass the saluting base is the

Bringing up the rear are the regimental farriers with their glinting axes which would be used to dispatch horses injured in battle. The farrier with the black plume is from the Life Guards. A mounted trumpeter signals 'The Trot' and the mounted guards trot past to the tune 'The Keel Row'.

The mounted band's director of music, who is watching until the last division of the Sovereign's Escort has stopped, turns inwards as a signal to the Field Officer. The assembled troops present arms and The Royal Salute is again played. The Field Officer now reports to The Queen that her Guards are ready to march off. The Garrison Sergeant Major, London District salutes indicating that the carriages transporting members of the Royal Family have passed the end of the approach road where the mounted troops are assembled.

The Queen mounts the Phaeton once again and leads her troops back down The Mall to Buckingham Palace. The parade ground markers march from Horse Guards Parade back to their barracks. The Queen dismounts from the carriage at the gates of Buckingham Palace whilst the entire parade once again marches past in salute. The Field Officer in Brigade Waiting makes the final salute to The Queen at the gates and Her Majesty enters the Palace and proceeds to the balcony to join the members of the Royal Household to watch an RAF flypast.

Meanwhile, opposite the Palace in Green Park, The King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery fire a 41-gun salute. The Royal Standard flies proudly from the roof of the Palace indicating that The Queen is in residence.

Page Data Courtesy TurnipNet

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