Trooping the Colour live updates: Prince William to play starring role as senior royals including Kate Middleton celebrate King Charles’ official birthday

By Harry Howard, History Editor

The King and Queen Camilla will lead senior royals in making an appearance on the Palace balcony in front of adoring crowds who will be packed down The Mall.

Prince William is expected to be joined by the Princess of Wales and their children, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, seven.

Princess Anne will feature with her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.

Prince Edward – who like Anne will be fresh from his part in the procession – is expected on the balcony with his wife Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh.

They are likely to be joined by their daughter Lady Louise, 21.

Their son James, the Earl of Wessex, 17, did not make an appearance last year and may not attend the ceremony this time around either.

Despite his increasing frailty, the staunchly devoted Duke of Kent, 89, will likely also be among the royals on the balcony.

Also expected is the hard-working Duke of Gloucester, 80, and his 78-year-old wife Birgitte, the Duchess.

As expected, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle are not attending this year’s celebrations.

An Air India plane has been pictured flying over Buckingham Palace ahead of Trooping the Colour.

King Charles has ordered royals to wear black armbands in rememberance of those killed in the Air India plane crash on Thursday.

The Royal Family will pay tribute to the 241 passengers and crew killed when a Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for Gatwick Airport came down in the Indian city of Ahmedabad.

Trooping the Colour is one of the most important days in the Royal Family’s calendar – and they all have their part to play.

While King Charles will take the royal salute and inspect the troops, Prince William, Princess Anne and Prince Edward are expected to feature in the parade.

William is Colonel of the Welsh Guards, whilst Anne holds the same position with the Blues and Royals.

Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, is Colonel of the Scots Guards.

Anne has not ridden in public since she was hospitalised last year after suffering a head injury – believed to have been caused by a horse – at her home.

It’s no secret that Meghan Markle had a hard time adjusting to palace life.

She had a series of well-publicised royal blunders, among which was her first Trooping the Colour appearance in June 2018.

The Sussexes had returned from their honeymoon in the Mediterranean just in time to attend and Meghan was anxious to impress as it would one of the their first appearances as newlyweds.

And a lipreader revealed to MailOnline today exactly what she said to Prince Harry during the event.

The Royal Family this morning shared a very special post on social media with pictures of King Charles at Trooping the Colour over the years.

Today marks the monarch’s third in his reign.

By Harry Howard, History Editor

Troops will start forming up on Horse Guards Parade imminently.

The BBC’s coverage will begin just over an hour later, at 10.30am.

At around 10.45am, King Charles will leave Buckingham Palace escorted by the Household Cavalry for the traditional procession.

Like last year, His Majesty is not expected to travel on horseback for the journey to Horse Guards Parade.

Instead, he will make the journey in a carriage.

At 11am, King Charles will arrive at Horse Guards Parade to take the royal salute and inspect the troops.

In line with decades of tradition, the ‘colours’ will then be carried down the ranks and showed to the soldiers.

At around 12.20pm, the carriage carrying King Charles will lead his troops back to Buckingham Palace via The Mall.

At the gates of the Palace, he will watch the parade march past and give a second salute.

Shortly after 12.50pm, soldiers from the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, will fire a 41-gun salute in Green Park to celebrate the monarch’s official birthday.

Then, at around 12.55pm, King Charles and other members of the Royal Family will make the traditional appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

The celebrations will then conclude with a stunning Royal Air Force fly past featuring various planes and helicopters.

Well-wishers are already lining the streets in anticipation of Trooping the Colour, and the pictures are brilliant.

With the flag of Wales hung over the fence, this group have even brought a cutout of the country’s Princess with them!

Joining them in cutout form is none other than King Charles.

By Harry Howard, History Editor

The honour to Troop their Colour rotates between five regiments of the Foot Guards.

This year it is the turn of Number Seven Company of the Coldstream Guards.

It will mark the first time that the Coldstream Guards have trooped their colour in front of the King.

And it is fitting given that His Majesty presented new Colours to the Coldstream Guards only yesterday to mark the regiment’s 375th anniversary.

Some fantastic images are coming into us now as things begin falling into place for today’s celebrations.

First up we’ve got The Mall decked out in Union flags, followed by some extraordinary pictures of The Coldstream Guards at Windsor Castle.

Then we’ve got some images of King Charles looking joyous as he inspects the Guards as they line up in west London.

Trooping the Colour has marked the official birthday of the British Sovereign for over 260 years.

It was decided in 1748 that the parade would be used to mark the official birthday of the monarch and became an annual event after King George III acceded to the throne in 1760.

Over 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians come together each year in a display of military precision, horsemanship and fanfare to mark the occasion.

Thousands of spectators line the streets to watch the parade which is traditionally followed by the annual RAF flypast and the Roya Family’s iconic balcony appearance.

The streets are lined with crowds waving flags as the parade moves from Buckingham Palace and down The Mall to Horse Guard’s Parade, alongside Members of the Royal Family on horseback and in carriages.

The display closes with an RAF fly-past, watched by Members of the Royal Family from Buckingham Palace balcony.

King Charles has ordered royals to wear black armbands in rememberance of those killed in the Air India plane crash for Trooping the Colour today.

The monarch has requested a minute’s silence in tribute to the 241 passengers and crew killed when a Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for Gatwick Airport came down on Thursday in the Indian city of Ahmedabad.

Black armbands will be worn by the head of state and senior royals riding in the ceremony to mark the King’s official birthday.

The King issued a written message soon after the plane crash saying he was ‘desperately shocked by the terrible events’ and expressed his ‘deepest possible sympathy’.

Welcome to MailOnline’s live coverage of Trooping the Colour.

Anticipation is building as the military ceremony celebrating King Charles’ official birthday takes place on London’s Horse Guards Parade this morning.

Thousands of spectators are expected to watch the parade which is traditionally followed by the annual RAF flypast and the Roya Family’s iconic balcony appearance.

Troops are expected to form up on Horse Guards Parade from around 9.15am today.

So, stick with us and we’ll bring you the latest as it happens.