Trooping the Colour 2024 date, start time and how to watch
4 June 2024, 17:17 | Updated: 10 June 2024, 10:33
When is Trooping the Colour? How long does the royal eveng last and where is it held? Here are all the details on King Charles's birthday event.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Trooping the Colour 2024 marks an important date in the royal calendar every year as a ceremony is performed at the Horse Guard in London to celebrate the official birthday of the monarch, King Charles.
Complete with a parade, a full royal guest list, a flyover and a famous Buckingham Palace balcony gathering, the event is usually attended by thousands of members of the public and watched by millions more on the TV.
However, this year, there will be some important changes which will include King Charles attending the ceremony in a carriage rather than horseback due to his cancer recovery, and Kate Middleton continuing to rest at home following her own cancer diagnosis. Although her attendance could still be a possibility.
Here's everything you need to know about Trooping the Colour 2024 including the date, official start and end times and exactly how you can watch.
What is Trooping the Colour?
This is an event that takes place every year in June to mark the official public birthday of the monarch. King Charles's actual birthday is November 14.
The celebration dates all the way back to the 17th century.
Trooping the Colour takes place at the Horse Guard in London and typically begins with a Royal salute to greet the monarch followed by the National Anthem.
- Read more: Is Kate Middleton attending Trooping the Colour 2024?
- Read more: When is Kate Middleton's first public engagement following cancer diagnosis?
There is then a parade, which involves 1,350 soldiers from the Regiment of the Household Division and the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, including over 300 musicians from the Massed Bands. A second Royal salute will conclude the ceremony.
The procession then heads back to Buckingham Palace where we see a fantastic Royal Air Force fly-past as important members of the royal family, including Prince William and Queen Camilla, gather on Buckhingham Palace's balcony.
When is Trooping the Colour 2024 and what time does it start?
Traditionally, the event happens on the second Saturday of June. It was originally on the second Thursday but was changed in 1959.
So for 2024, Trooping the Colour will take place on June 15. The full service will begin at around 10am with the fly-by happening at roughly 1pm.
When does Trooping the Colour end and how long does it last?
Of course, this is no quick celebration for the royal family. The Horse Guard's parade typically lasts two hours and 25 minutes making the end time 12:25pm.
However, that is not the end of all celebrations as the flyover is expected to happen at 1:00pm and usually lasts around 15 minutes, although this hasn't been confirmed yet.
That means, in total, the Trooping the Colour event lasts from 10:00am -1:20pm - three hours and twenty minutes.
How to watch Trooping the Colour?
For anyone heading into London hoping to catch sight of the event itself, it's advised you travel in early and head for the Mall or the edges of St James' Park.
If you want to watch comfortably from home, the event will be broadcast live on the BBC.
Read more:
- Prince Louis' full name and special meanings explained
- The true story behind Prince Philip's 'brutal' nickname for Meghan Markle
- What is Prince William's surname? Name meaning explained
