Monday, June 13, 2011

TROOPING THE COLOUR TO CELEBRATE THE QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY

 

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Prince William and his new wife Catherine took part in the pomp and pageantry as Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her official birthday on Saturday.

William, her grandson, wore his wedding uniform, only this time complete with a bearskin hat, for the traditional Trooping the Colour military parade in central London.

Dressed in the scarlet tunic of the honorary colonel of the Irish Guards, the Duke of Cambridge rode on horseback as Catherine joined other royals watching from a balcony.

It was the public's first chance to see the royal family all together since William and Kate's wedding on April 29, watched by an estimated two billion people across the world.

The event, celebrating the queen's 85th birthday, took place the day after her husband Prince Philip turned 90. He is the longest-serving consort in British history.

For the annual pageant, massed ranks of soldiers in the famous red tunics and bearskin hats of the British army marched on Horse Guards Parade.

Queen Elizabeth’s actual birthday is on April 21, but historically the monarch has another in the summer months, because the weather is supposed to be better for open-air celebrations.

This year the colour paraded was that of the 1st Battalion Scots Guards.

Prince Philip received a new royal title on his 90th birthday on Friday, as the outspoken consort said he would finally scale back his workload.

The Queen made him Lord High Admiral - the titular head of the British Royal Navy - partly in recognition of the promising seafaring career that Philip gave up to spend a lifetime at her side.

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