LONDON
\nBritain\u2019s King Charles III Charles will take part in his annual birthday parade on horseback Saturday, the first time the monarch has ridden at the event since his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1986.
\nThe annual Trooping the Color parade marks the British sovereign\u2019s official birthday.
\nThe colorful display of regimental precision and pageantry is the first of 74-year-old Charles\u2019s reign.
\nCharles\u2019s actual birthday is on November 14 but British sovereigns celebrate twice \u2014 once in private and again in public.
\nThe June parade tradition began in 1748 under King George II, who wanted a celebration in better summer weather, as his own birthday was on October 30.
\nThe televised event begins with a procession from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade in central London. Some 1,400 soldiers, 400 musicians and 200 horses are taking part, led in the parade by Juno, a 10-year-old shire mare, alongside three other Drum Horses \u2013 Perseus, Atlas and Apollo.
\nDrum Horses are the most senior animals in the army and hold the rank of major. They are traditionally named after figures from Greek mythology.
\nThe minutely choreographed event has its origins in the display of colors or flags of different regiments to allow their soldiers to identify them in battle. The 1st Battalion Welsh Guards will troop, or parade, their color up and down the ranks this year.
\nHighs of 25 degrees Celsius are forecast, but troops will likely feel hotter in their ceremonial black bearskin hats and thick red tunics.
\nCharles will be joined on horseback by his eldest son and heir, Prince William, his brother Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, and sister Anne, the Princess Royal.
\nWilliam inspected troops from the Household Division group of senior regiments last weekend, and the high temperatures saw several soldiers faint.
\nAs Prince of Wales, William is honorary colonel of the Welsh Guards.
\nAfter inspecting the troops and taking a royal salute, Charles \u2014 who as head of state is commander-in-chief of the armed forces \u2014 will lead soldiers back to the palace.
\nHe will then join other senior members of the royal family to watch a fly-past of some 70 military aircraft over the British capital, after a 41-gun salute from nearby Green Park.
\nBad weather cut short a planned fly-past at Charles\u2019s coronation on May 6.
\nThe late Queen Elizabeth last rode her horse Burmese, a gift from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, at the parade in the mid-1980s.
\nAfter the horse, which she rode for 18 years, was retired in 1986 she decided to use a carriage for Trooping the Color.
\nLast year\u2019s parade was the last for the late queen, and formed part of four days of events to mark her record-breaking 70th year on the throne.
\nIt was one of her final public appearances before her death, aged 96, in September.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LONDON Britain\u2019s King Charles III Charles will take part in his annual birthday parade on horseback Saturday, the first time the monarch has ridden at the event since his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1986. The annual Trooping the Color parade marks the British sovereign\u2019s official birthday. The colorful display of regimental precision and pageantry […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":338376,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-338354","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n