Trooping the Colour :The Major General's Review- Horseguard Parade Seated Tickets

Join us for The Major General’s Review which is identical to The King’s Birthday Parade, but without Guardsmen street lining on the Mall, and with a slightly smaller entourage of mounted officers.

Taking part will be over 1200 soldiers of the Household Division and The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, including 400 musicians from the Massed Bands, all of whom will parade on Horse Guards for the first of two formal Reviews.

The soldiers will be inspected by Major General James Bowder OBE, The Major General Commanding the Household Division.

How to watch

We will watch from the stands in Seats on Horse Guards Parade.

The Parade begins at Horse Guards at 10.30am and will finish by 12.25pm.

Afterwards why not join your fellow Spicer's for a drink or Lunch somewhere nearby

Origins of Trooping the Colour

Regimental flags of the British Army, historically described as ‘Colours', display insignia worn by the soldiers of respective units along with the unit’s Honorary Distinctions, or ‘Battle Honours’. Historically, the primary role of a Regiment's Colour was to provide a rallying point on the battlefield. This was vitally important because, without modern communications, it was all too easy for soldiers to become disorientated and separated from their unit in the confusion of battle.

Colours are the most precious item held by any regiment, and are the personal gift of the Sovereign, who presents them at a special ceremony in which they are consecrated by the unit’s chaplain. Thereafter, they are displayed in the officers’ mess or headquarters of the battalion to which they belong, and even today will accompany the unit on overseas operations. Draped over a drum, they serve as an altar for religious services in the field, and whenever they are carried outside without a case they are under armed escort and are saluted by all troops. When Colours are retired, they are ‘laid up’ in a consecrated place, which is why they will often be seen in churches and cathedrals – usually in places with a connection to the regiment in question. Once a Colour has deteriorated through age to the point at which it is no longer fit for display where it has been laid up, it is either buried in consecrated ground, or cremated. Visitors to the Guards Chapel will see a very large selection of Foot Guards Colours, and Household Cavalry Standards, some dating from the eighteenth century, and having been carried in battle.

A battalion has two Colours: the Regimental Colour (a Union flag for Foot Guards) and the King’s Colour (scarlet for Foot Guards). The latter is always carried on occasions when the Sovereign is present. The Regimental Colour will be carried for the Major General’s Review and the Colonel’s Review, and the King’s Colour for the King’s Birthday Parade. The same is true of the Household Cavalry, who carry smaller flags known as Standards, which have the same status. The Royal Artillery consider their guns to be Colours, which is why the lead gun of the King’s Troop is always saluted when on parade.

For soldiers to recognise their Regiment's Colour, it was necessary to display them. This was accomplished by young officers marching between the formed-up ranks of soldiers with the Colour held high; this is the origin of the term 'trooping'. What is today a great ceremonial spectacle began life as a vital wartime parade designed to aid unit recognition before a battle commenced.

The Foot Guards are amongst the oldest Regiments of the British Army and have served as the personal bodyguards of the Sovereign since the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660 following the English Civil War. The ceremony of Trooping the Colour is believed to have been performed first during the reign of King Charles II (1660 – 1685). In 1748, it was determined that this parade should mark the official birthday of the Sovereign, becoming an annual event when King George III ascended the throne in 1760.

Although His Majesty The King's actual birthday is 14th November, the practice was established long ago of marking an ‘Official Birthday’ of the Sovereign in the summer to stand a better chance of good weather for the parade.