Trooping the Colour, according to EverydayQuestions.com, “is a historical event held annually in Britain, which involves the parade of over a thousand soldiers — including a military unit of musicians or music band — to celebrate the official birthday of the reigning British monarch”. However, the BBC describes Trooping the Colour as “a military parade which has long been used to mark the official birthday of the British sovereign — in an effort to hold the event in better weather”.

The phrase ‘Trooping the Colour” originates from the display of uniform colours and insignia worn by the soldiers of different units during the annual celebration and the word ‘Colours’ is used to describe regimental flags of the British Army. The British Army refers to it as the ‘King’s Birthday Parade‘.

Meanwhile, at every Trooping the Colour celebration, the royal family always makes an appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony to watch a Royal Air Force (RAF) flypast.

According to a report by entertainment website PlanetAkinade.com, the British sovereign’s birthday is celebrated twice in a year, including the King’s Birthday Parade on the second Saturday of June, especially if the reigning monarch was not born in the summer months of the year. The King’s Birthday Parade has reportedly always been an annual celebration since the reign of King George II, whose November birthday was found too cold for a celebratory parade.

Sources:

Coughlan, C. & Cole, H. (2025). King and Queen join royals on Buckingham Palace balcony for Red Arrows flypast. BBC. https://www.bbc.co.uk

EverydayQuestions (2025). When is the next Trooping the Colour? https://everydayquestions.org/when-is-the-next-trooping-the-colour

Laboye, O. (2025). What happened at Trooping the Colour 2025? https://planetakinade.com/2025/06/14/what-happened-at-trooping-the-colour-2025