TROOPING THE COLOUR PHOTOS 2005 - THE QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY PARADE
11 JUNE 2005

PHOTOGRAPHS OF HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN'S OFFICIAL BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS - Page 1 of 2
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The Photos are the personal property and copyright of Joe Bridge

The Queen's official birthday was marked on Saturday, 11 June by the annual ceremony of Trooping the Colour.

This colourful military ceremony was carried out by troops from the Household Division (Foot Guards and Household Cavalry) on Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall, watched by The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, members of the Royal Family, invited guests and members of the public.

The event is a popular spectacle in central London, watched by thousands of spectators. A procession of carriages and horses travels from Buckingham Palace up the Mall to Horse Guards Parade. During the ceremony, The Queen is greeted by a Royal salute and carries out an inspection of the troops. After the massed bands have performed a musical 'troop', the escorted regimental colour is carried down the ranks. The Colour this year will be trooped by 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.

The Foot Guards and the Household Cavalry then march past The Queen, and the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, rank past. The Queen travels back to Buckingham Palace at the head of her Guards, before taking the salute at the Palace from a dais. The troops then return to barracks.

Just before 1pm The Queen and members of the Royal Family make an appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, to greet the crowds and watch an RAF fly-past.

Timetable
The Royal procession left Buckingham Palace at 10.45am, proceeding down the Mall to Horse Guards Parade.

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh rode in a carriage, followed on horseback by HRH The Prince of Wales (Colonel, Welsh Guards), HRH The Princess Royal (Gold Stick in Waiting and Colonel, The Blues and Royals) and HRH The Duke of Kent (Colonel, Scots Guards). Also riding in the procession was The Master of the Horse, The Lord Vestey, and the Colonels of the Irish Guards, the Life Guards and the Coldstream Guards.

The ceremony of Trooping the Colour began on Horse Guards Parade at 11am.

At the end of the ceremony (12 noon), The Queen and the procession returned to Buckingham Palace, where The Queen took the salute from balcony of Buckingham Palace with a fly-past of Royal Air Force aircraft at 1.00pm.

History
The Sovereign's birthday is officially celebrated every June by the ceremony of Trooping the Colour. Although The Queen was born on 21 April, it has long been customary to celebrate the Sovereign's birthday publicly on a day in the summer, when better weather is more likely.

The ceremony dates back to the early 18th century or earlier, when the colours (flags) of the battalion were carried (or 'trooped') down the ranks so that they could be seen and recognised by the soldiers. Since 1748, this parade has also marked the Sovereign's official birthday and, since Edward VII's reign, the Sovereign has taken the salute in person at Trooping the Colour. The Queen has taken the salute every year of her reign, except in 1955 when a national rail strike cancelled the event.