King Charles to make history during first Trooping the Colour as monarch

Next week, on June 17, King Charles III will celebrate the first Trooping the Colour since becoming monarch, making history in the process.

The 74-year-old will lead the royal family in a military parade before appearing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace where his late mother stood during the same event throughout her 70-year reign.

But Trooping the Colour, also known as the King's Birthday Parade, will be a little different this year and not only because of the new monarch.

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It will also be the first held since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September.

Which royals will be there?

All working members of the royal family will be in attendance, with some taking part on horseback in the parade and others following in carriages.

Along with King Charles and Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales will be there with their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Last year was the first time all three children attended together, riding in a carriage with their mother and the then-Duchess of Cornwall, now Queen.

The Waleses are expected to be in a carriage again and later will join the King and Queen on the balcony after the parade. Prince William is likely to be on horseback.

It's not clear as yet whether some non-working members will make an appearance, such as Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, but it is expected that Prince Andrew may attend.

However, much like at the coronation, the Duke of York will not have a formal role and is unlikely to be on the palace balcony.

That honour is reserved mainly for royals who represent the King on official duties.

At the coronation, the King was joined on the balcony by working royals and those who had been loyal to he and his late mother.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not expected to attend this year and will likely remain at their home in California.

They were at Trooping the Colour last year, which coincided with Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee, but watched from the Horse Guard's Parade a short distance from Buckingham Palace.

Prince Harry was recently in London for his phone hacking case against the Mirror Group Newspapers and a month before at the coronation.

But Meghan, and their two children, have not been in the UK as a family since June last year.

Who else will take part in the event?

For the first time in more than 30 years, every unit in the Household Division will be taking part in Trooping the Colour.

The ceremony will include the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Scots Guards, Irish Guards, Welsh Guards, the London Guards (Army Reserve), and The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment.

The King and Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Princess Royal, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Duke of Kent will all likely take part in the military procession before appearing on the balcony.

That's because senior members of the royal family normally hold the appointment of Colonel-in-Chief of the regiments of the Household Division.

King Charles could be on horseback, as his late mother was for many years, with Prince William also riding in the parade in previous years, including in 2022.

The royal colonels and their regiments are:

• The Blues and Royals - Princess Anne, the Princess Royal
• Grenadier Guards - Queen Camilla
• Irish Guards - Catherine, the Princess of Wales
• Welsh Guards - Prince William, Prince of Wales
• Scots Guards - Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent
• London Guards - Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh
• The Life Guards - Lieutenant General Sir Edward Smyth-Osbourne
• Coldstream Guards - Lieutenant General Sir James Bucknall

The Flypast

Organisers will no doubt be hoping for better weather than at the coronation in May when rain and cloud cover meant the spectacular flypast had to be scaled back.

The RAF flypast is set to take place at approximately 1pm when members of the royal family are on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

When is King Charles' actual birthday?

June 17 is not the King's real birthday, which is November 14.

Trooping the Colour, which is celebrated as the sovereign's birthday, has always traditionally been held in June.

The event first marked the official birthday of the British sovereign more than 270 years ago, but the origins of the ceremony date back to the 17th century and the reign of King Charles II.

But it was King George II who thought it a grand idea to use the annual military display, held each summer, to mark his "official" birthday.

George was keen for a large scale public celebration, but as a November baby the winter months were simply too cold for a parade.

Fortunately being King has its perks. George awarded himself a second birthday, one combined with Trooping the Colour. So began the monarch's double birthday tradition.