BIRTHDAY BOY

Trump’s Favorite Royal Steals Some Birthday Attention

After a difficult year, the British royal family was cheered through central London by an adoring crowd.

The ancient ritual of Trooping the Colour, held to mark the British monarch’s official birthday, took place on a glorious summer Saturday in London, and The Royalist was there to see it all unfold.

It was the same weekend as across the pond, President Donald Trump, who shares a warm relationship with King Charles, prepares for his own birthday celebrations at the White House.

Royalist subscribers can watch the full video on Substack, covering everything from the procession to the balcony appearance in real time.

The historic ceremony went off without a hitch, despite the presence of a pocket of demonstrators.

King Charles, who looked in good spirits, took the salute as colonel-in-chief of the Household Division.

Queen Camilla joined him in the carriage procession down The Mall, waving to the crowds who had gathered in the sunshine.

The Prince and Princess of Wales were there with all three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, who (as ever) threatened to steal the show with his irrepressible energy on the balcony.

Catherine looked composed and elegant, and William was in full ceremonial uniform, every inch the future king.

The day hit all of its marks. The massed bands, the precision drill, the thundering hooves of the Household Cavalry, the great wheeling maneuvers on Horse Guards Parade—all executed with the immaculate discipline and theatrical flair that the British military does so well.

Then came the balcony appearance at Buckingham Palace, the climax of the day. As the royal family assembled in a line, the crowds surged down The Mall, and the RAF flew overhead, their red, white, and blue contrails streaking across a perfectly clear sky.

It is one of those images that has come to define the monarchy itself.

Trooping the Colour dates back to the 17th century, when the “Colours” (the regimental flags) were trooped down the ranks so that soldiers could recognize their rallying point in battle.

The ceremony has been used to mark the sovereign’s official birthday since 1748, during the reign of George II, who decided that his actual November birthday was no good for an outdoor parade.

Every monarch since has maintained the tradition. The parade takes place on Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall, the site of the old Palace of Whitehall’s tiltyard, and involves around 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses, and 400 musicians drawn from the Household Division.

After a period where the monarchy has had to absorb a great deal of turbulence—from the king’s health to the conflict between his two sons, to the growing scandals surrounding his brother Andrew—Trooping the Colour is a powerful reminder of why this institution endures.

This is the British monarchy doing what it does best, putting on a show so polished, so deeply rooted in history, that it feels like the natural order of things.

Want more royal gossip, scoops and scandal? Follow all Tom Sykes’ reporting at The Royalist on Substack or listen to The Royalist podcast on YouTube.

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Tom SykesEuropean Editor at Large

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