The Princess of Wales will not attend a rehearsal for Trooping the Colour next weekend as she continues to be off work while undergoing treatment for cancer, it has been confirmed.
The major event, which marks the official birthday of the Sovereign with a military parade and march past, takes place each June on Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall, London, in front of crowds of royal fans. This year, the official event, known as Trooping the Colour or The King’s Birthday Parade, will take place on Saturday, June 15, with one rehearsal – The Major General’s Review – this Saturday and a second one – The Colonel’s Review – on June 8.
Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that King Charles, who is also undergoing treatment for cancer, will not be riding a horse at his official birthday parade in two weeks’ time, but will instead conduct the review of troops taking part while seated in an Ascot Landau carriage with Queen Camilla. The event, usually attended by senior royals, will bring back memories for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle – and in particular, of the first time the Duchess of Sussex joined other members of the Royal Family at Trooping the Colour, one month after marrying the Duke of Sussex in 2018.
In his memoir ‘Spare’, which was published last year, Harry said his wife Meghan suffered an awkward encounter with his sister-in-law Catherine. The duke said his wife tried to make a joke with the Princess of Wales, but it was met with a “yawning silence” by Catherine.
Harry said that everyone was “in a good mood, upbeat” until Catherine asked Meghan what she thought of her first Trooping the Colour, with the duchess making a joke and describing the event as “colourful” – but it seemed that the joke was not well received, with Harry mentioning an awkward silence that “threatened to swallow us all whole.”
Trooping the Colour is held every year as an official birthday event for the monarch, even though Charles’ actual birthday is on November 14. It dates back centuries and became an annual event from 1760. It is one of the biggest military ceremonies of the year, featuring around 1,600 parading soldiers, 400 musicians and more than 200 horses and is usually wrapped up with a RAF flypast over Buckingham Palace, watched by the Royal Family from the Palace balcony.
The awkward incident has reemerged following the latest announcements about this year’s Trooping the Colour. This year, Charles will carry out the review of the Guardsmen and officers from an Ascot Landau carriage with the Queen. The change from last year’s ceremony, where Charles inspected the troops on horseback, reflects earlier Buckingham Palace briefings where it was highlighted that each engagement by the monarch would be reviewed and adaptations made when advised by doctors.
