LOC23:01
20:01 GMT
LONDON, June 14 (KUNA) -- King Charles III and Queen Camilla marked the Trooping the Colour parade, the monarch's official birthday, Saturday, as the royal couple traveled in a carriage during the military procession along the Mall and into the Horse Guards Parade, where the King reviewed the guardsmen.
They were accompanied by members of the Royal Family, including the Prince and Princess of Wales, along with their children.
The occasion was full of the traditional pageantry, but, at the King's request, there were marks of respect to remember the victims of the Air India crash, with the Royal Family in the parade wearing black armbands.
The Air India crash killed 241 passengers and crew, including more than 50 Britons, as well as at least eight people who were on the ground when the aircraft came down.
The event saw 1,350 troops in the King's Birthday Parade, concluding with the traditional finale where the Royal Family watched a flypast from the Buckingham Palace balcony.
This year, the Red Arrows adopted a greener approach by using a more environmentally friendly blend of fuel, which includes sustainable aviation fuel and biofuel, to create their signature vapor trail.
That will have pleased the King, an environmental champion, who has been encouraging the use of sustainable aviation fuel where possible on royal flights and wants to promote its wider use.
For a long time now, Trooping the Colour has been a ceremony to mark the Sovereign's birthday (the one they all celebrate in June, rather than Charles' human birthday, which is on November 14). The five regiments of Foot Guards (Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish, and Welsh Guards) take it in turns to parade in front of the monarch in a highly-orchestrated inspection on Horse Guards Parade.
Each ceremony typically involves around 1,200-2,350 soldiers, along with hundreds of horses and musicians.
King Charles II was the first monarch to preside over it, although it was not until 1748 that Trooping the Colour was used to mark the Sovereign's (i.e. George II) birthday. In 1760, the year King George III acceded to the throne, it became an annual tradition. (end)
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