A very special tribute to the newly crowned King will take place at the end of Trooping the Colour.
The Ministry of Defence has announced a special, extended flypast at the end of the Sovereign’s Birthday parade, in honour of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
The flypast planned for the Coronation had to be scaled back because of poor weather. Now, six weeks later, around 70 aircraft will take to the skies and fly above Buckingham Palace at the end of Trooping.
This is the first Sovereign’s Birthday Parade of a new reign and the first to be held for a king in seven decades.
As the flypast was announced, Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton said ”We are very proud to be able to showcase our capabilities to our Commander-in-Chief, on this historic occasion for His Majesty the King. We have planned a fitting and appropriate tribute for our monarch, that should be a true spectacle for the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.”
It will also feature a first and last. The Envoy IV CC1 will make its flypast debut while the same display will feature a final ceremonial flight for the C-130 Hercules which is about to retire from service.
Aircraft from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight from 1940 will also be involved.
The flypast will follow a longstanding tradition. Trooping the Colour has come to an end with aerial displays for many years. The first flypast for the event was in 1913, in the reign of King Charles III’s great grandfather, King George V.
Trooping the Colour takes place on June 17th 2023 at Horse Guards Parade.
