Trooping the Colour June 2018

The Queen on The Mall !!!

Some of the Crowd feeling Patriotic!

The Irish Guard's Regimental mascot, Domnhall

The Scarab Road Sweepers that go up and down The Mall after the Horses have gone past!

The Top of one of the Flagpoles on The Mall, topped with a crown

For the eagle eyed of you this gentleman is Lance Corporal Richard Jones, whose magic act won him Britain's Got Talent in 2016, He serves in the Mounted Band of the Household Cavalry

Zenouska Mowatt (Princess Alexandra's Grand-daughter) kissed the Queen's Equerry Major Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankra

The Royal Year's main day of Pomp and Pageantry has to be Trooping the Colour, and 2018's didn't disappoint!

From the Street Liners of Guardsmen on The Mall, to countless Regimental bands, soldiers, The Household Cavarly and the Coldstream Guards who were Trooping the Colour this year, the crowds gathered in Central London saw the best of pageantry.

The Royal Wedding the month before had guaranteed a huge interest, so the crowds were increased (another early start for me!!!)

Some of the crowds were more exuberant than others. A group near me (who funnily enough I stood next to the previous year) set up camp with their picnic,  chairs and champagne! A cardboard 

cut-out of Her Majesty (resplendent in Sunglasses!) took centre stage much to the Royals amusement.

Three Royal Carriages were first to process: The first bearing TRH The Duchess of Cornwall & Duchess of Cambridge. 

In the second newlyweds TRH The Duke and Duchess of Sussex with HRH the Duke of Kent. and in the Third, TRH The Countess of Wessex (with her daughter Lady Louise Windsor) and 

Princess's Beatrice and Eugenie.

The Queen, this year on her own (no Duke of Edinburgh now to accompany her) was flanked by her family on horseback. The Royal Colonel's: TRH The Prince of Wales (The Welsh Guards), The Princess Royal (The Blues and Royals),  The Duke of Cambridge (The Irish Guards), and for the first time riding as Colonel of the Grenadier Guard's, The Duke of York

Time does pass quickly (the ceremony is about 75 minutes on Horse Guard's Parade), First back are The King's Horse Troop Royal Artillery (who performed a Gun Salute in Green Park). Then the Royal carriages . The Queen is then flanked by her Guardsmen making such an impressive sight. I defy anyone not to feel any pride watching it!

This years however the Parade didn't go to plan. Lord Guthrie (Colonel of The Life Guards), near the Queen Victoria Memorial (further down from where I was) fell from his horse, and received medical attention. Usually the crowds are let out on The Mall for the very impressive walk down for the Balcony appearance, the crowds weren't informed what happened, so as you can imagine some weren't happy and it was not until minutes beofre the crowds were let out.

I ONLY juts managed to get to the Queen Victoria Memorial as the doors on the Buckingham Palace Balcony opened. in-fact the Flypast was already starting as The Queen came out with her family.

The crowds were treated to a full balcony, Taking centre stage next to the Queen was the Duke of York at her side, and the young Cambridge children, with their cousins Savannah & Isla Phillips (Grandchildren of Princess Anne.) At one point Savannah cheekily out her hand over Prince George's mouth to stop him singing the National Anthem!

The flypast ended with my favourites, the RAF Red Arrows, whose distinctive Red, White and Blue plumes of smoke filled the London skies.

Photographs Copyright Paul Ratcliffe

NOT FOR REPRODUCTION