We left home around 9:30am and headed to Pall Mall for the Queen’s Birthday Trooping of the Colour parade.
We arrived a bit before 10am and it was 4 or 5 deep on the Green Park side of the Mall so went over to the St James Park side opposite where its was only 2 deep, Buckingham Palace was on our left. There were so many people there to watch the event, we heard that some had arrived around 4am to get a good spot. There were police everywhere, many with machine guns.
Around 10am we saw the guard units march down the Mall. Each group of about150 guards was led by a marching band. Each group seemed to have different colours in their bearskin hats, different regiments or something I guess. So much colour and pageantry.
Each group of guards took up position at various areas along the Mall, and then the guards took up position every 15m or so. An officer came past not long after measuring the exact distance between each guard, and having them adjust position as necessary. My best guess is around 800 to 1000 guards (the royal web site says 1400) . Each had a machine gun with a bayonet fixed to it.
While we were waiting for everything to start we saw Charles and Camilla leave Clarence House and drive past us to Buckingham Palace.
We chatted to a couple standing in front of us, they were from London said this was his first time to see the Queen in real life (they were about our age) they were both very excited.
Most of the Royal family participated in the parade, the only one missing was Prince Phillip. They went to and from Whitehall from Buckingham Palace in a mix of horse drawn carriages, cars (limo’s) and a bus for the very young royals. They were escorted by the Horsemen. At around 10:50am the Queen travelled from Buckingham Palace in a horse drawn carriage, waving to her subjects (and others) as she made her way at a slowish pace to Whitehall. We got a good look at her and all the troops.
There were also 200 horses carrying the Horse Guardsmen, again split into about 4 groups, each with a mounted band leading them. These Horsemen took part in the Horse Guard’s Parade at Whitehall, where the Queen was met with a Royal Salute before inspecting the Guard. The Queen used to attend this ceremony on her own horse, riding side-saddle, but the years have caught up with her and she has travelled by carriage for the last 17 years or so.
While all that was going on we walked into St James Park and relaxed for ¾ hr. We went back to the barricades at the Mall at about 11:45am. We had lost our spot and finished up about 3 back.
Once all the ceremonies have been concluded, the Queen , and royal family, were escorted back to Buckingham Palace by the Horse Guard at around 12:10pm. We both got a good view of the procession back.
Once back in Buckingham Palace the Royals relaxed for a while before appearing out on the balcony to what was a flyover by 3 lots of planes. Before they came out there was a 41 gun salute fired in Green Park to mark the occasion. The last group of planes came over with red white and blue vapour behind them.
God Save the Queen was played and the ceremonies concluded.
It was a fun way to spend the mid part of the day. Deb particularly enjoyed it, you can take the girl out of Britain, but you can’t take all the Brit out of the girl. ?
We got home in time to see Djokovic get beaten in his French Open semi-final, and then watch Australia’s Ash Barty win her first Grand Slam Tennis open (in straight sets).
