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Watch: King Charles III's horseback ride on birthday. He was joined by…
Prince William and King Charles's sister Anne and brother Duke of Edinburgh Edward also joined the monarch on the horseback ride.
King Charles III became the first British monarch in 30 years to ride on a horseback for his first Trooping the Colour parade- marking his official birthday celebrations in the UK. King Charles turned 74 on November 14 last year but the UK celebrates its monarch’s birthday as per royal tradition in a parade during summer. This involved over 1,400 military officers together with 200 horses, 400 musicians from 10 bands and corps of drums.
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Prince William and King Charles's sister Anne and brother Duke of Edinburgh Edward also joined the monarch on the horseback ride. Following them in a horse-drawn carriage were King's wife Camilla, Prince William's wife Kate Middleton and the couple's three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
The parade is the first Trooping the Colour parade since the passing away of Charles’ mother Queen Elizabeth II. She died aged 96 in September last year. The parade dates to the days when flags were used as rallying points on the battlefields and it was essential that soldiers recognise their own regimental flag colours. Hence the “Colours” were trooped to assembled troops.
UK PM Rishi Sunak and wife Akshata Murty were among the special guests in the stands watching the parade. Following the ceremony, the royal family head back to the Buckingham Palace to gather on the balcony to watch an extended military flypast in which around 70 aircraft from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force will take part.
