The Grenadier Guards trooped their Colour before the King on Horse Guards Parade on 13 June 2026, and the Red Arrows closed the day above Buckingham Palace.
The Grenadier Guards trooped their Colour before the King on Horse Guards Parade in Westminster on Saturday 13 June 2026. It was the fourth Trooping the Colour of the King’s reign.
Known as the King’s Birthday Parade, the ceremony has marked the Sovereign’s official birthday every year since 1760. It is the single national celebration of that birthday.
The Household Division supplies the troops. The Guards have been the Sovereign’s personal bodyguards since the monarchy was restored in 1660. The parade draws more than 1,400 fully trained, operational soldiers, with 200 horses and over 400 musicians.
The parade runs from Buckingham Palace along The Mall to Horse Guards Parade and back. It opens with a Royal Salute and a 41 Gun Salute, fired by The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery from The Green Park.
In 2026 the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal and the Duke of Edinburgh rode in mounted formation. The Princess of Wales travelled with her three children.
After the Colour had been carried through the ranks of the Foot Guards, the royal family gathered on the Buckingham Palace balcony. The Red Arrows passed overhead trailing red, white and blue smoke.