Duke Of Cambridge Takes The Salute At The Colonel’s Review
As Trooping the Colour nears the final preparations are taking place. Duke Of Cambridge, in his role as Colonel of the Irish Guards and on behalf of his grandmother Queen Elizabeth, oversaw the military rehearsal for the big parade for the Queen’s upcoming birthday.
The Duke was there to check and pass the Irish Guards as fit for their big moment during the parade that will be a big part of the celebrations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee next week.
“The purpose of the Colonel’s review is to decide that they are ready for Her Majesty,” an army source told PEOPLE.
The Irish Guards will be trooping their colour-or flag at the annual birthday parade for the Queen next Thursday. This will be one of the highlights of the big celebration, which is a special one, as it is celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, meaning it commemorates a historic 70 years on the throne.
Prince William holds the honorary position of Colonel of the regiment and his assignment with looking over the parade. The royal needs to evaluate if the troops are ready for the ceremonies on Thursday.
For this year’s Trooping the Colour, over 1,500 soldiers and 350 horses will carry out complex battlefield drill manoeuvres to a program of music. For this milestone celebration, there are some new additions to the musical pieces, as it will now include tributes to the Queen, such as “Long Live Elizabeth.”
Last week Duke Of Cambridge presented the 1st Battalion Irish Guards with their new colours (flags) during a ceremony at Windsor Castle as initial preparation for the big ceremony next Thursday.
Prince William’s role will continue on the big day, as the Duke will be part of the royal procession, riding horseback alongside his father Prince Charles and Princess Anne. In previous years Prince Andrew, William’s uncle, also took part, but due to him not being a working royal any longer and being stripped from all his military affiliations due to his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, he will not be taking part.
Other members of the royal family will travel by carriage and will follow the parade from the Major General’s office at Horse Guards Parade (a large parade ground in central London), with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle still being speculated on whether they will make an appearance.
What has been officially confirmed is that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Prince Andrew will not be on the balcony alongside the Queen and the other senior royal family members for the traditional flypast, as all three of them are no longer senior working members of the family.
There are still reports coming in on how the arrangements are going for how the Queen will be attending Trooping the Colour, with nothing concrete being revealed.
With the mobility issues that have been plaguing her for the past few months, it is very unlikely that she will be able to stand during the ceremonies as she usually does. In the last two years, the monarch viewed a toned down Trooping the Colour parade from the quadrangle at Windsor Castle due to the global pandemic.
Some reports claim that one option might be that she will arrive by carriage and watch part of the parade while the senior royals on horseback-Prince Charles, Duke Of Cambridge and Princess Anne-take over most of her role.
Another option is that she might just appear on the balcony at Buckingham Palace with her son Prince Charles and take the salute.
Interestingly enough, before Elizabeth became Queen, it was quite rare to see the monarch actually attend the birthday parade in their honour.