Trooping the Colour - Pomp & Ceremony

Fans of pomp and ceremony are in for a treat with the annual Trooping of the Colour scheduled to take place in two days time, on Saturday 14th June. Trooping of the Colour is sometimes called the Queen's Birthday Parade. The procession usually takes place on the second Saturday in June.

The Queen's official birthday sees the Union flag flown on government buildings, a 42-gun salute and the release of a birthday honours list. Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was actually born on April 21, 1926.

Australians and New Zealanders mark the Sovereign's official birthday with a public holiday. Canadians mark the date in May.

In 1981, a seventeen year old youth, Marcus Serjeant, fired six blanks at the Sovereign as she rode down Horse Guards Parade for the beginning of that year's Trooping of the Colour. Serjeant was quickly overpowered by Guardsmen and police. The Queen steadied her horse, quickly regained her composure and the Parade continued as planned.

Serjeant was sentenced under the 1842 Treason Act and spent more than three years in prison.

Each year, one of the five Household Regiments has the honour of having their coloured trooped in front of the monarch. In days gone by, the colours of a battalion would be slowly paraded (or trooped) in front of the men guarding the Royal Palaces, so that they would be recognised. This tradition proved especially important if a battalion was engaged in action overseas.

Since 1987 the Queen has been driven past the Guard of Honour in a horse-drawn carriage. The Parade route begins at Buckingham Palace continues down the Mall to Horse Guards Parade. The Royal Family return to Buckingham Palace after the Trooping of the Colour is complete and observe a fly past by the RAF planes from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

Visitors to London can learn about the history of Horse Guards Parade with the Palace Trail, Walk Talk Tour audio walking tour. Tickets for this year's Trooping of the Colour have sold out, but independent travellers can still make the most of their time in the capital by consulting our Where & When pages, which detail the times when Changing of the Guard takes place.

There are five Walk Talk Tour audio downloadable travel guides of London. The five London city guides are available in English, French, German and Spanish. To hear an audio sample from the Palace Trail mp3 guided tour please click here.

Walk Talk Tours represent excellent value. The five London podcast guided tours cost £5.95 each. Customers purchasing two tours simultaneously will receive a twenty per cent discount. Walk Talk Tours offer great value for people travelling in groups and parties.

With a Walk Talk Tour audio travel guide you're in charge. No need to feel conspicuous with a guidebook in your hand, or struggle to follow - let alone hear - the man with the umbrella. Each Walk Talk Tour iPod travel guide comes complete with a downloadable map, so you won't miss a thing.