Trooping The Colour

How do you get to Troop The Colour? Practice

It started a couple of months ago. In the Horse Guard's Parade Ground, besides which we walk, run or cycle past almost daily, trucks moved in and built several tiers of seating around the edges of the ground. What was this for, we wondered? My guess was that it was for some season of spring and summer events or concerts, which seem to be the staple of large public spaces all over London.

Then, a month ago, on my way to work early one Monday, I happened across a regiment of Queen's Guards, complete with marching band, parading down the street. It was completely incongruous, and no one could figure out what they might be doing.

Two weeks ago during a run with the Serpentine running club around Hyde Park, we came across a large group of mounted Household Cavalry in full dress, but riding casually down the street, as if transporting themselves and their horses somewhere. Flags were going up all around the Palace and the surrounding parks. Something was clearly afoot. Someone said the words Trooping The Colour. A-ha.

Trooping The Colour has its roots in military history, now a ceremonial event, and performed during the Queen's official birthday celebrations, which happens to be today, June 16th.

The rehearsals and preparations went into high gear this week, as well as additional celebrations. On Tuesday evening St James' Park in front of the Parade ground looked like a makeshift battlefield, with army tents, tens of small armoured vehicles, tanks, and soldiers. No ordinary soldiers, but dressed in historic outfits, redcoats, infantry, and is that a French soldier's outfit over there? And just beyond them, a field of horses all dressed, with similarly historically dressed riders, feeding their mounts, waiting for the call to action. The air was rich and pungent with the smell of the horses (digression: we ate a cheese this week at the Neal's Yard Dairy that was described as "very farmyard-y", and goodness gracious if it didn't taste like wet hay, dirt and a horse paddock, I don't know how else to describe it). Turned out they (the tanks, the soldiers, the horses, plus a couple of camels that we didn't see) were all part of ceremonies which included a recreation of the Battle of Waterloo.

Thursday morning as I rode my bicycle around in front of Buckingham Palace, a giant trailer-tractor carrying several of those small armoured tanks came tearing around the roundabout, flanked by a noisy police escort, quickly followed by another. I tried to snap a couple photos I don't know if they came out yet.

Finally, yesterday morning, running with Donna and her friend Estelle at the ungodly hour of 6:30am through central London, running through Green Park towards the Palace, we could hear a marching band. Clearing the trees, we saw not just one marching band, but several, and hundreds of soldiers, divided into their regiments. They were massed in the grounds in front of the Palace, and marching through it and along birdcage walk. We caught sight of the Royal Marines in their characteristic white hats and gloves. All the bands were playing their different songs. The Royal Standard was flying, indicating that the Queen was in residence, probably thinking, One hates the days before the Trooping of the Colour, why can't they practice quietly? We ran alongside the front group of soldiers, crisply-dressed in white. A loud call brought them to a sharp halt, their boots on the pavement letting off a loud clap. Crisp, commented Estelle. I told the girls to slow down the running pace, they didn't need to impress the soldiers anymore.

The big day, Saturday. Today. We came into work for a little bit of weekend toil (deadlines, yadda yadda yadda), and the building guard at the desk had the television on. A march was playing. We watched it for a couple minutes, a grainy overhead view of horses and soldiers coming around the front of Buckingham Palace with the Queen in her carriage on their way to the Horse Guard's Parade, the streets lined with hundreds of people. Mostly tourists I'm sure. The rehearsals were better.

London | Trooping The Colour | England | Queen's Guards | Horse Guard's Parade | Buckingham Palace | Birthday