Royals watch Trooping the Color spectacle
Pageantry celebrates the official birthday of Queen Elizabeth II
LONDON — Prince Harry and his new wife, the former actress Meghan Markle, joined the pageantry of the annual Trooping the Color ceremony Saturday in London to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s official birthday.
The duke and duchess, who married three weeks ago, made the short trip from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade in a horse-drawn carriage as royal fans lining the Mall cheered and waved. The couple later joined other members of the royal family on the palace’s front balcony to watch the Royal Air Force fly by.
As the aerobatic display team, the Red Arrows, released plumes of red, white and blue smoke over the balcony of Buckingham Palace, the queen’s great-grandchildren waved wildly. She smiled — both at the jets and the children.
The 92-year-old queen, whose real birthday is April 21, seemed vigorous as she keenly observed the event. The monarch, who recently had a successful cataract operation, watched the ceremony from a dais and inspected the guardsmen in bearskin hats and scarlet tunics.
Trooping the Color is a ceremony deeply rooted in the history of the United Kingdom. It originated from traditional preparations for battle when flags, or colors, were “trooped” so soldiers in the ranks would be able to recognize them.
Thousands of spectators flocked to London for the annual spectacle, hoping to catch a glimpse of the glittering house of Windsor, jamming the royal parks near the parade grounds.
The Duchess of Sussex, as Markle is now known, wore a Carolina Herrera dress and a hat by Philip Treacy. The Duchess of Cambridge, the former Kate Middleton who is married to Harry’s older brother Prince William, wore a dress by Alexander McQueen and a hat by Juliette Botterill.
Harry and William were in military dress uniforms.