I saw a You-Tube clip recently in which a fellow sat and watched a clip of British soldiers Trooping of the Colour. He was merely reacting to it–asking questions, like had they been doing it for long, did they do it often, and what did it mean. Now as a New Zealander and therefore a member of the Commonwealth, I knew that the event takes place every Queen’s (for most of my life) or King’s (now) birthday, and is a ceremonial event put on by regiments of the monarch’s Household Division.
The Household Division of the army are the regiments whose primary responsibility is guarding the monarch and the royal palaces – five regiments of foot soldiers and two of horse guards.
But when did the event start, why did it start, and what is Trooping the Colour, anyway?
It goes back to battle in all parts of the world and in all ages before radio and field telephones. Battle plans are disrupted almost as soon as a battle starts, and if a regiment gets separated in the heat of battle, they need to know where their comrades and their commanders are. Some armies have carried flags (called standards). Some staffs with symbols on them, such as the Roman and later Napoleonic eagles. A soldier cut off from his own can make for the standard, which stands out above the smoke and dust of the battle, so that he is not fighting alone but is contributing to the overall goal.
Every regiment has its own flag – called its colours, and the practice was to march the colours through the troops while they were on parade so that they knew what to look for in the heat of battle. Hence trooping the colours.
When King Charles II was restored to the throne, the Horse Guard provided his personal guard, his Household Cavalry. They still hold this role today. Like other regiments, they trooped their colours, and their regimental commander, the monarch himself, attended the event. It became a major ceremonial spectacle, and since 1745, one regiment of the Household Cavalry has trooped their colours before the reigning monarch every year on the day of his birthday, as part of a wider ceremony of inspection and celebration.
Here’s how the British army describes the scene on their page about the event:
The Royal Procession in glittering gold and silver uniforms makes its way down the Mall to Horse Guards Parade. The Mall is filled with Union Flags and the uniquely red tarmacked road is deliberately designed to look like a VIP red carpet. Announcing the arrival of the procession, the sound of the priceless Georgian Silver kettle drums carried by the Welsh Shire drum horses at the head of the procession filters through to those waiting in the stands on Horse Guards.
Four Divisions of The Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry, descendants of those loyal gentlemen who protected His Majesty Charles II in exile and accompanied Him back to London to restore the Monarchy in 1660, are still ever present in determined force 365 years later, protecting King Charles III as He rides to Horse Guards to inspect His Troops. It’s an astonishing spectacle of razor steel, mirror groomed horses, tunics of scarlet, blue and gold, swans feathers and silk.
Once the King arrives at Horse Guards Parade:
His Majesty The King conducts his inspection of the Foot Guards who, along with the Household Cavalry, form the Household Division. Every Guardsman on parade is an operational soldier and standards they apply to ceremonial duties are reflected in the excellence with which they conduct operations. With more experience of this event than any other person present, His Majesty who has frequently ridden in parade in His prior role of Colonel Welsh Guards will notice any detail that is not correct and will inform the Major General afterwards.
Once His Majesty The King has returned to the saluting base, the command ‘Troop’ is given by the Field Officer in Brigade Waiting.
Then come the massed bands, and after that the actual trooping of the colour. See here for the detail: https://www.army.mod.uk/news/what-is-trooping-the-colour/