Trooping the Colour

HISTORY

Trooping the Colour is a ceremony

performed by regiments of the
British and Commonwealth armies.
It has been a tradition of British
infantry regiments since the 17th
century, although the roots go back
much earlier. On battlefields, a
regiment's colours, or flags, were
used as rallying points.
Consequently, regiments would have
their ensigns slowly march with
their colours between the soldiers'
ranks to enable soldiers to recognise
their regiments' colours.
Queen’s Birthaday

In the United Kingdom, Trooping the Colour is

also known as the Queen's Birthday Parade. It has
marked the official birthday of the sovereign since
1748, and has occurred annually since 1820
(except in bad weather, periods of mourning and
other exceptional circumstances). It was Edward
VII who moved Trooping the Colour to its June
date, because of the vagaries of British weather
(his actual birthday being in November). From
1979 to 2017 it was always held on the Saturday
falling between 11-17 June; however, the date
announced for 2018 falls in the previous week,
being Saturday 9 June.
 The Queen travels down the Mall from
Buckingham Palace in a royal procession with a
sovereign's escort of Household Cavalry (mounted
troops or horse guards). After receiving a royal
salute, she inspects her troops of the Household
Division, both foot guards and horse guards, and the
King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery. Each year, one
of the foot-guards regiments is selected to troop its
colour through the ranks of guards. Then the entire
Household Division assembly conducts a march past
the Queen, who receives a salute from the saluting
base. Parading with its guns, the King's Troop takes
precedence as the mounted troops perform a walk-
march and trot-past.
Returning to Buckingham Palace, the Queen
watches a further march-past from outside the gates.
Following a 41-gun salute by the King's Troop in
Green Park, she leads the Royal Family on to the
palace balcony for a Royal Air Force flypast.
Trooping the Colour in Australia and Canada

In Australia the Trooping the Queen's Colour takes place annually on the Queen's Birthday
Holiday by the cadets of Royal Military College. The Queen's colour was trooped there for
the first time on the Queen's Birthday Parade in 1956, a practice which has continued
since then. Colours were first presented to the Corps of Staff Cadets by His Majesty King
George VI when, as Duke of York, he visited Australia in 1927. Colours were again
presented by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 10 May 1988 and most recently on 22
October 2011 during a brief visit to Australia.

In Canada the Trooping the Colour ceremony takes place, with a trooping of the Queen's
Colour, only for the Queen, members of the Royal Family, the Governor General, or a
Lieutenant-Governor, on Remembrance Day, or in honour of the Queen's Birthday, on
Victoria Day. Colours are also trooped during unit anniversaries. In Ottawa, should any of
the above be absent for the ceremony, the salute is taken by the Minister of National
Defence and the Chief of the Defence Staff, and the Regimental Colour is trooped instead.
The Queen's Birthday Parade:

Morning Dress, Lounge Dress, Lounge Suit or

Jacket and Trousers, equivalent for the ladies
(no denim). Military personnel may wear
Ceremonial Day or other Service equivalent.

Colonel's Review:

Lounge Suit or Jacket and Trousers, equivalent

for the ladies (no denim).

Major General's Review:

Smart Casual (NO DENIM).

NON COMPLIANCE WITH THE DRESS

CODE MAY RESULT IN REFUSAL OF
ENTRY.

Hats are optional but recommended in the case

of hot weather.
 VOCABULARY
Rallying - the action or process of coming together to support a person or cause.
Vagaries - an unexpected and inexplicable change in a situation or in someone's behaviour.
Compliance - the action or fact of complying with a wish or command.
Troop the colour - perform the ceremony of parading a regiment's flag along ranks of
soldiers.
Mourning - the expression of sorrow for someone's death.
Precedence - the condition of being considered more important than someone or
something else; priority in importance, order, or rank.