Today was a big day for King Charles III, who celebrated his first-ever Trooping the Colour as British sovereign. And in honor of his special day, Buckingham Palace and the Royal Collection Trust shared a throwback that showed the first time the monarch ever attended the ceremony.
The caption read, “Today, The King will attend Trooping the Colour for the first time as Monarch. He is no stranger to the Sovereign’s Birthday Parade, though, having attended from an early age.”
The rest of the caption detailed the photo. It read, “In this 1951 photo, His Majesty - then a two-year-old Prince Charles – is seen with his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, and aunt, Princess Margaret, returning to Buckingham Palace following Trooping the Colour. His mother, then Princess Elizabeth, had taken the salute on behalf of King George VI who was unwell.”
In the following slide, we see the late Queen Elizabeth from 1956, giving a salute during the Horse Guards Parade (FYI: she had been named monarch four years prior).
During King Charles's first appearance at Trooping the Colour, he also got to join the family on the Buckingham Palace balcony (as seen in the image above).
In recent years, the king has taken a central role in the ceremony, riding on horseback alongside his sister, Princess Anne, and his son, Prince William.
This year, King Charles took his salute while on horseback, becoming the first monarch to do so in 37 years. During his mother's reign, she did the same until 1986, when she began riding in a carriage instead after the horse she had been using for 18 years was retired from duty.
We love to see how far you've come, King Charles.
Stay up-to-date on every breaking royal family story by subscribing here.
