How much has changed in just four years – the last traditional Trooping of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II

This year will see the Sovereign’s Birthday Parade, better known as Trooping the Colour, held in honour of King Charles III for the first time. It will also be a return to a more familiar Trooping, for the final years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II saw the traditional ceremony altered several times for different reasons.

In 2020 and 2021, it was held at Windsor Castle, because of the pandemic. In 2022, it was part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations but Her Late Majesty didn’t attend the full ceremony at Horse Guards Parade. Instead, she oversaw her troops march back after Trooping from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

It’s a full four years since Queen Elizabeth II last reviewed the troops at Horse Guards for Trooping.

In 2019, Her Majesty rode to the parade ground by carriage and took the salute from a dais where she was joined by her cousin, the Duke of Kent. Prince Philip was not present – he had retired from public life almost two years earlier, in August 2017.

The then heir to the throne, Charles, rode in the parade alongside his eldest son, William, and Queen Elizabeth II’s only daughter, Anne.

There was much interest in the carriage procession and balcony that year as they included a number of ‘royal firsts’.

Prince Louis made his first appearance on the balcony following the 2019 Trooping. The young prince was just one at the time but was already more than at home there, waving enthusiastically during the flypast, to the amusement of his parents.

The Duchess of Sussex made her first public appearance following the birth of her son, Archie, joining her husband, the Duke of Sussex in the carriage parade and on the balcony. It was also the first time that Jack Brooksbank, husband of Princess Eugenie, joined the Royal Family for Trooping.

Much has changed in those four years and it will be a very different Royal Family that heads out into London for this Trooping.

King Charles is now the royal honoured at the birthday parade while the regiment trooping its colour is the  1^st Battalion Welsh Guards.

His Majesty is Colonel-in-Chief of the Regiments of Household Division and each has a Colonel. The Colonel of the Welsh Guards is now Prince William, The Prince of Wales.

For the first time since 2019, it will be held in the capital on a Saturday – it was moved to Thursday, June 2nd in 2022 to begin the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

And the balcony will look very different. While Prince Louis will still be enjoying the sights and sounds of this traditional event with its roots in the 18th century, those around him will have changed. King Charles and Queen Camilla will be at the centre while it’s not yet clear who will join them although the Duke of York and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex won’t be there.

Trooping the Colour takes place on June 17th 2023 in London.