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See the best pictures from Trooping the Colour - as King pays tribute to plane crash victims

4 weeks ago 25

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The King has marked his official birthday at the Trooping the Colour parade, wearing a black armband in tribute to those killed in the Air India plane crash.

More than 1,300 soldiers took part in the ceremony at Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall. The event has marked the official birthday of the UK monarch on the second Saturday of June for more than 260 years.

The King previously said he was "desperately shocked" at the aviation disaster that claimed the lives of 270 people, including more than 50 British nationals.

The 76-year-old King will lead the nation in a minute's silence, with black armbands worn by senior royals, including the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal and the Duke of Edinburgh.

Ever expressive Prince Louis. Pic. Reuters

The Queen, the Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Edinburgh were among the royal party watching the event with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

The Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, and his wife, Victoria watched the event, as did singer-songwriter Matt Goss, who rose to fame in the mid-1980s.

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King and Queen wave to cheering crowds

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said the King requested amendments to the Trooping the Colour programme "as a mark of respect for the lives lost, the families in mourning and all the communities affected by this awful tragedy".

In 2017, Trooping was held a few days after the Grenfell Tower blaze and the loss of life was marked by a minute's silence, a decision taken by Queen Elizabeth II.

Away from performing ceremonial duties, the soldiers taking part in the military display are fighting soldiers.

The stands around Horse Guards Parade were filled with around 8,000 wives, girlfriends and the parents of the guardsmen and officers on parade.

The colour, or regimental flag, trooped this year was the King's Colour of Number 7 Company, Coldstream Guards, a prestigious regiment known as the sovereign's bodyguard. It celebrates its 375th anniversary this year.

The difference in this parade was immediately apparent

As the carriages left Buckingham Palace, and you looked closely, the difference in this parade was immediately apparent.

Black armbands on all of the senior royals in military uniforms, including the King, a request from the monarch as a mark of respect to those who died in the Air India crash and those who mourn them. Another alteration was made after they’d inspected the guard on Horse Guards parade with a minute’s silence.

We know that King Charles can be an emotional and empathic man, but this was a reminder of how much he appreciates the role the royal family can play in those moments when it’s right that the nation takes time to remember.

The rest of the parade stepped off as normal, only right after the months of rehearsals the soldiers and musicians go through.

The traditional fly past also still took place along with the annual balcony moment. After the horror of world events this week it felt like a lighter moment of distraction, for those who enjoy this kind of pageantry.

Prince Louis with the final wave, from a family mindful of their position and what they can do in more challenging times.

The day ended with the royal family gathering on Buckingham Palace's balcony for the gun salutes in Green Park and the traditional RAF flypast.

Led by the Red Arrows, this year for the first time, the flypast used more sustainable aviation fuels for its tricolour smoke trails in red, white and blue.