Queen will not receive the Trooping the Colour salute for first time in 70 years as she delegates responsibility to senior members of the Royal Family
The Queen will not take the royal salute at the Trooping the Colour next month for the first time in 70 years, as she continues to delegate responsibility to senior members of The Firm. Her Majesty’s birthday, on June 2nd, has historically seen the monarch’s personal troops, the Household Division on Horse Guards Parade, with the Queen herself attending and taking the salute.
Instead this year, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge and the Princess Royal will ride on the parade as colonels of the Welsh Guards, the Irish Guards and the Blues and Royals. According to the Sunday Times , Her Majesty still hopes to attend some of the ceremony, which kicks off four days of celebration to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee .
The news comes as the 96-year-old monarch continues to entrust members of the Royal Family with increased responsibilities as she faces ‘episodic mobility problems’. Earlier this month, Her Majesty missed the State Opening of Parliament for the first time in 59 years, with Prince Charles and Prince William given power to jointly act at the event on the Queen’s behalf.
She has though made three recent public outings this month, including attending the Windsor Horse Show, star-studded Platinum Jubilee celebrations in Windsor and the opening of the Elizabeth Tube line, appearing in good spirits at all of them.
Her Majesty has always been present at the Horse Guards Parade and has taken the royal salute at every Trooping the Colour ceremony during her reign.
Traditionally during the ceremony following the Horse Guards Parade, the Queen is greeted by a royal salute before carrying out an inspection of the troops. According to the publication, one option being considered by Palace officials is Her Majesty traveling by carriage from Buckingham Palace to briefly inspect troops before making an appearance on the balcony.
Alternatively, Her Majesty may only only appear on the balcony after the duration of the ceremony. Following Trooping the Colour, 18 family members will be on the balcony: The Queen; Charles and Camilla; William and Kate with George, Charlotte and Louis; Edward and Sophie and their children Louise and James; Princess Anne and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence; the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester; the Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Prince Andrew and Prince Andrew’s daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, will not join the royal family there. Harry, Meghan and their children will attend the celebrations, but it is not known at which elements of the four-day Jubilee weekend they could make an appearance.
The balcony appearance, which is often seen as the centre-piece of major royal occasions, including Trooping the Colour and weddings, usually sees the Queen’s extended family gather to watch a fly-past and is a rare chance for fans to see the entire extended family together.
In paring the list down to just 16 people to avoid potential diplomatic pitfalls, the Queen has been forced to omit a number of well-liked family members including her much-loved grandchildren and their families.
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