Sikh soldier sports turban at Queen’s birthday ceremony

: A turban-wearing soldier of the Coldstream Guards became the first Sikh soldier to figure in the widely-watched traditional Trooping the Colour ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Saturday, the official birthday of Queen Elizabeth.

Charanpreet Singh Lall, 22, was among over 1,000 soldiers who participated in the ceremony attended by the Queen and members of the royal family, including the newly-married Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Charles and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Appearing in his first such ceremony, the Punjab-born Lall told Press Association: “I hope that people watching, that they will just acknowledge it and that they will look at it as a new change in history”.

“I hope that more people like me, not just Sikhs but from other religions and different backgrounds, will be encouraged to join the army,” the Leicesterbased Lall added. Lall moved to the United Kingdom as a baby and joined the British army in January 2016. A member of the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, Lall’s turban features the ceremonial cap star to match the bearskin hats of his fellow guardsmen.

He said: “Being the first turban-wearing Sikh to troop the colour and to be part of the escort it is a really high honour for myself, and hopefully for everyone else as well”. HTC

LONDON