2023-06-17 10:03:46
The birthday parade of King Charles III is held on Saturday in London, a first for the new British sovereign who will reconnect with tradition for the occasion by reviewing the troops in ceremonial dress on horseback.
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Indeed, Queen Elizabeth II, who died last September at the age of 96, no longer appeared in the saddle during this emblematic event of the British royal pomp following 1986.
Charles III will be 75 on November 14, but the British sovereign’s birthday is celebrated twice, privately on D-Day and publicly in June.
The tradition of this parade called “Trooping the colour” dates back to the reign of George II in 1748 who, although born on October 30, wished to take advantage of good weather to celebrate his birthday.
Televised, the event always attracts a large audience around Buckingham Palace where the parade takes place.
At 10:00 a.m. London time, a procession will leave the Palace via Mall Avenue for Horse Guards Parade Square in central London, where the King will be saluted by the military.
Some 1,400 soldiers, 400 musicians and 200 horses take part, led this year by Juno, a mare named by Queen Camilla.
Three drum horse horses will follow, Perseus, Atlas and Apollo. These equids, which carry the drums during parades, are the most experienced animals in the British Armed Forces. They are endowed with the rank of major and have a name taken from figures of Greek mythology.
Balcony and cannon shots
This ceremony has its origins in the preparations for war, where all the flags were shown to the soldiers so that they would recognize them in the confusion of the battles.
The 1st Battalion of the Welsh Guards will be honored this year, and following inspecting the troops Charles III, who as Head of State is Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, will lead the procession back home to Buckingham Palace.
Joined by Queen Camilla and other working members of the Royal Family, the King will wave to the crowd from the palace balcony and watch an aerial parade following 41 cannon shots were fired from Green Park.
AFP
This year, this aerial parade of 70 planes will be larger, to compensate for the cancellation of that planned for the coronation of the king on May 6, disrupted by bad weather.
More than 25 degrees are expected this Saturday, but the heat felt by the soldiers under their traditional bear hair helmets might be much higher.
During rehearsals last weekend under the supervision of Prince William and a blazing sun, several of them were seized with discomfort.
The celebrations of the king’s birthday are the occasion, with the New Year, to announce distinctions and decorations of personalities and anonymous people.
This year’s list includes novelist Martin Amis, who died last month, director Stephen Frears, Vogue editor Anna Wintour, and Junior Frood, an 18-year-old student turned anti-bullying campaigner. following being victimized.
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