King Charles III’s official birthday date revealed for Trooping the Colour 2023

Buckingham Palace also announced changes to royal colonel roles within the Foot Guards

Buckingham Palace has announced when the King’s Birthday Parade, known as Trooping the Colour, will be held in 2023.

King Charles III’s official birthday date will take place on 17 June, weeks after his coronation ceremony on 6 May.

In his first Trooping the Colour as monarch, the King will ride on horseback alongside the Prince of Wales, while the Queen Consort and the Princess of Wales watch the parade.

The palace also unveiled new honorary royal colonel roles within the Foot Guards, with Kate Middleton taking on the role of Colonel of the Irish Guards, previously held by Prince William.

Camilla will become Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, which was previously held by the Duke of York. However, the role has been vacant since he was stripped of his royal titles in January this year.

William will take the Colonel of the Welsh Guards title from his father.

There will be no change to the existing Colonelcies of the other Regiments within the Household Division, the palace said.

The King’s official birthday is taking place on the third Saturday in June, whilst his late mother Queen Elizabeth II’s official birthday, usually took place on the second Saturday in June.

The Trooping the Colour parade has marked the monarch’s official birthday for the past 260 years.

(Getty Images)

More than 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians will take part in the parade in a display of military precision, horsemanship and fanfare.

The parade travels from Buckingham Palace down the Mall to Horse Guards Parade, and closes with a Royal Air Force fly-past.

This year, the Queen’s Birthday Parade was held during a special extended bank holiday in honour of her platinum jubilee.

A royal gun salute was fired for the event. The event was the first time since her reign began in 1953 that the Queen did not take the military salute on Horse Guards Parade, which was taken instead by Charles, who was the Prince of Wales at the time, William and the Princess Royal.

Additional reporting by PA