2017

:00:09. > :00:14.Everything is set for one of the great state events of the season and

:00:15. > :00:16.for the first time in eight years it is the turn of the Irish Guards to

:00:17. > :00:22.troop their colour. They will be inspired by the sound of the pipes

:00:23. > :00:27.and the drums and by the sight of the regimental mascot, done done.

:00:28. > :00:29.All set then for the music and the majesty of the Queen's Birthday

:00:30. > :01:04.Parade. On this day of celebration, Her

:01:05. > :01:07.Majesty is mindful of the tragic recent events in London and

:01:08. > :01:13.Manchester has issued the following statement today:

:01:14. > :01:15.This year, however, it is difficult to escape a very'

:01:16. > :01:18.In recent months, the country has witnessed a succession

:01:19. > :01:23.As a nation, we continue to reflect and pray for all those who have been

:01:24. > :01:26.During recent visits in Manchester and London,

:01:27. > :01:28.I have been profoundly struck by the immediate inclination

:01:29. > :01:30.of people throughout the country to offer comfort and support

:01:31. > :01:35.Put to the test, the United Kingdom has been resolute in

:01:36. > :01:40.United in our sadness, we are equally determined,

:01:41. > :01:46.without fear or favour, to support all those

:01:47. > :01:55.rebuilding lives so horribly affected by injury and loss".

:01:56. > :01:59.That was the statement issued by Buckingham Palace on the morning of

:02:00. > :02:05.her official Birthday Parade and the Queen will be leading a national one

:02:06. > :02:11.minute's silence at 10.45am before the parade gets under way. Well,

:02:12. > :02:15.that parade will begin shortly at horse guards. Bathed in sunshine

:02:16. > :02:23.today for the ceremony of Trooping the Colour, a tradition that spans

:02:24. > :02:27.more than two centuries. This year's escort provided by the 1st Battalion

:02:28. > :02:31.Irish Guards. It is a great honour for them. They have been working so

:02:32. > :02:35.hard in preparation for this parade. The crowds, thousands of people, in

:02:36. > :02:40.the stands around horse guards, many of them relatives and friends of

:02:41. > :02:44.those taking part and there is a very strong Irish presence among

:02:45. > :02:49.them. There is live coverage of the events on BBC One. There is unedited

:02:50. > :02:54.continuous coverage on the Red Button. The regimental mascot making

:02:55. > :03:02.his way towards the horse guards building. We are looking forward to

:03:03. > :03:03.an impressive parade. Let's join Sonali Shah with the Household

:03:04. > :03:15.Cavalry as they complete their work. For some of the horses it has been a

:03:16. > :03:18.4.30am start. There are two regiments the Blues and Royals and

:03:19. > :03:22.the Life Guards. This year it is the turn of the Life Guards to take the

:03:23. > :03:26.lead. What happened this morning is they made sure they came down to

:03:27. > :03:29.check the horses, any that were nervous, a little bit fizzy, they

:03:30. > :03:35.went out for an early ride and then it was back here, for all the

:03:36. > :03:38.grooming. Last minute preparations. We've lot liming going on to make

:03:39. > :03:42.sure the hooves are dry. And bandaging up the tail to make it

:03:43. > :03:47.look pristine. Some of the horses are very much ready. There is no

:03:48. > :03:55.over exuberance here which bodes well for the parade. More from

:03:56. > :04:06.Sonali later. We're joined by a special guest with first hand

:04:07. > :04:07.experience of taking part in the Birthday Parade, Brigadier

:04:08. > :04:13.Christopher. Good morning to you. Good morning. We found this reminder

:04:14. > :04:17.of your day back on parade in 1996. While we admire this and think of

:04:18. > :04:21.all the style that you showed on the day, what are your thoughts looking

:04:22. > :04:24.ahead to this morning's parade? Well, Huw, seeing the footage from

:04:25. > :04:29.1996 brings all the memories back and I can clearly remember our

:04:30. > :04:32.feelings of pride and excitement which I know everybody on parade

:04:33. > :04:35.will be feeling today, like all Irish Guards men I'm looking forward

:04:36. > :04:40.to something special on horse guards today. 21 years ago we put in a

:04:41. > :04:48.considerable amount of work for our day and I'm sure today's Irish

:04:49. > :04:52.Guards men will have done the same. We're looking forward to it. The

:04:53. > :05:00.troops on tread today have had relatively little time to prepare.

:05:01. > :05:03.We caught up with the guardsmen at the Army Training Centre in

:05:04. > :05:06.Pirbright - where they rehearse in all weathers to

:05:07. > :05:11.Today, we're here in Pirbright, which is where we do quite

:05:12. > :05:15.We spend a lot of time on this square behind me.

:05:16. > :05:22.My advice to any guards when they're struggling on the day

:05:23. > :05:25.Keeping that many people in a straight line is quite hard.

:05:26. > :05:29.Giving a glance out of your left eye to make sure you're in line

:05:30. > :05:33.The main reason we are one of the, if not the, best

:05:34. > :05:35.army in the world is because of our discipline

:05:36. > :05:38.There's no better way to display that discipline

:05:39. > :05:47.You get a cautionary word of command and an executionary word of command.

:05:48. > :05:50.The cautionary word is telling the soldiers

:05:51. > :05:53.that they're about to act, so it would be a long drawn out

:05:54. > :05:58.And then your executionary word will be short, sharp word.

:05:59. > :06:19.After the tragic events in Manchester, we paused

:06:20. > :06:21.the preparations for the Queen's birthday parade and many

:06:22. > :06:24.of the troops who will be on parade found themselves standing

:06:25. > :06:25.shoulder-to-shoulder with a policeman in Windsor

:06:26. > :06:28.and London, guarding locations as a result of the threat level

:06:29. > :06:31.The Major General commanding the household division was rightly

:06:32. > :06:34.full of praise for the boys, not only for what they did,

:06:35. > :06:37.but how quickly they've readjusted to make sure that we can deliver,

:06:38. > :06:38.not just our operational commitments, but also

:06:39. > :06:40.keep delivering on the Queen's birthday parade.

:06:41. > :06:44.Be agressive and be disciplined in everything you do.

:06:45. > :06:49.You're there, when you see the crowd, you know your family

:06:50. > :06:52.are there in the stands to support you and obviously Her Majesty is

:06:53. > :06:57.She's there to celebrate her birthday, which is a real honour.

:06:58. > :07:18.Well, thankfully there is no need to worry about the rain, but the Irish

:07:19. > :07:22.Guards will have to deal with serious heat in London today and

:07:23. > :07:26.their Commanding Officer Jonathan Palmer is here with his horse

:07:27. > :07:30.Wellingtonment you are in charge of giving the crucial words of commands

:07:31. > :07:34.to the Footguards. Any nerves? Mostly nerves. I want to get it

:07:35. > :07:39.right for the boys whose parade it is. I'm very much looking forward to

:07:40. > :07:44.you riding. You only started riding six months ago. You haven't had long

:07:45. > :07:51.with Wellington, are you getting on OK? I'm indebted to the Household

:07:52. > :07:52.Cavalry Regiment whose instructors have been very patient with me. The

:07:53. > :08:02.best of luck. Thank you. And these are the guards that he

:08:03. > :08:07.will be commanding on parade today. The support company of the 1st

:08:08. > :08:14.Battalion Irish Guards providing the Escort. They are the stars of the

:08:15. > :08:18.parade in many ways, led by Major Charlie Mulira. They are providing

:08:19. > :08:24.men for number two guard and number three guard. The Irish Guards were

:08:25. > :08:29.the fourth regiment of Footguards to be founded which explains why the

:08:30. > :08:41.buttons are arranged in groups of four and there is the green plume of

:08:42. > :08:45.St Patrick. Number six guard, found by the Coldstream Guards who Trooped

:08:46. > :08:49.their Colour successfully last year. The Coldstream Guards are providing

:08:50. > :08:53.the street liners for this year. Next, we have number five guard.

:08:54. > :09:00.Found by F Company Scots Guards, that's an independent company

:09:01. > :09:06.created in 1994. And number 4 guard, found by Njimegen Company Grenadier

:09:07. > :09:10.Guards created in 1994 to carry the colours of the second suspended

:09:11. > :09:17.battalion. The Welsh Guards are represented by the musicians. Many

:09:18. > :09:24.of them led by the Senior Director of Music Lieutenant Colonel Roberts.

:09:25. > :09:26.Norman Hunter is taking part in his 24th Birthday Parade.

:09:27. > :09:28.And as the Senior Director of Music will confirm -

:09:29. > :09:31.a great deal of thought goes into the music that

:09:32. > :09:33.is performed every year - more than 30 pieces of

:09:34. > :09:36.music - chosen after a careful process - a rather

:09:37. > :09:38.obscure process - but this year we've been

:09:39. > :09:44.allowed a glimpse of how it all comes together.

:09:45. > :09:48.Music for the Queen's Birthday Parade is incredibly

:09:49. > :09:51.important, because if the guardsmen have a real strong

:09:52. > :09:54.beat as they go round, then it's quite uplifting for them.

:09:55. > :09:57.Today has been the selection process for choosing the music

:09:58. > :10:03.I think it's very important to reflect the Irish

:10:04. > :10:08.element of the parade, because trooping our own colour

:10:09. > :10:11.doesn't come around very often, so it's very important to get it

:10:12. > :10:17.The key Irish tunes in there are great to have.

:10:18. > :10:22.I've sung all of these songs to my children and I know

:10:23. > :10:25.that all of the Irishman who are marching, it will mean

:10:26. > :10:28.a great deal to them to hear this and it will really resonate

:10:29. > :10:31.with people watching, to the extent that I would say that

:10:32. > :10:33.people would be quite surprised/ delighted to hear them played

:10:34. > :11:14.A piece I've composed especially for this parade is called Messines

:11:15. > :11:17.Ridge and, almost to the day, commemorating 100 years

:11:18. > :11:23.MUSIC: "Messines Ridge" by Maj Bruce Miller.

:11:24. > :11:25.There were representatives from both north and south

:11:26. > :11:34.If Her Majesty was tapping her foot to my music on the day,

:11:35. > :11:37.it would be a wonderful feeling and a great send off in my

:11:38. > :11:49.You're going to get a huge uplift there, it'll be

:11:50. > :11:55.And a lot going on all the way through.

:11:56. > :11:56.So, yeah, we'll go for Messines Ridge.

:11:57. > :12:11.Rather fascinating insight into the selection of music of for the

:12:12. > :12:17.Birthday Parade. We are looking forward to hearing Messines Ridge

:12:18. > :12:21.later. The Colour party is in place.

:12:22. > :12:29.Protecting the Colour which was presented to the 1st Battalion Irish

:12:30. > :12:32.Guards by Her Majesty in 2009. The regiment's 21 Battle Honours

:12:33. > :12:38.featured on the colour, the most recent being Iraq in 2003. What an

:12:39. > :12:43.honour, the honour of protecting the colour goes to two colour centuries

:12:44. > :12:47.Guardsmen Anthony Coates on the right and Jacob Todd on the left.

:12:48. > :12:53.It's a great day for them and Colour Sergeant Vince Hockley. This is his

:12:54. > :12:56.first Birthday Parade despite the fact he has put in 18 years of

:12:57. > :13:01.service and I have to say something of a miracle that Vince is with us

:13:02. > :13:05.today because he suffered terrible injuries in Afghanistan back in 2010

:13:06. > :13:09.when he and four others came under attack and Chris, you know Vince

:13:10. > :13:12.Hockley. You indeed know the circumstances of what happened on

:13:13. > :13:16.that dreadful day. Well, indeed, Huw it is a great moment for Colour

:13:17. > :13:19.Sergeant Vince Hockley and his presence here is remarkable. I was

:13:20. > :13:23.his Commanding Officer in Afghanistan and I was there when he

:13:24. > :13:26.was taken off the medical evacuation helicopter and seeing him then when

:13:27. > :13:30.I saw him, it was questionable whether he would live. But he's here

:13:31. > :13:36.today, it is testament to his resolve and the skill and the care

:13:37. > :13:41.of the medical staff and I also like to remember Guardsmen Christopher

:13:42. > :13:47.Davis and major Matt Collins and Sergeant Mark who were killed on

:13:48. > :13:52.that tour of Afghanistan. Indeed. Lots of reflection on the parade

:13:53. > :13:57.ground today because as I said, here on horse guards, we are standing by

:13:58. > :14:03.in a few minutes time for the minute's silence. This is the

:14:04. > :14:08.silence that will be led by Her Majesty the Queen at Buckingham

:14:09. > :14:13.Palace. A great sight along the Mall which

:14:14. > :14:16.is decked in Union Flags for this Birthday Parade and the Royal

:14:17. > :14:23.Standard, prominently flying above Buckingham Palace. Following the

:14:24. > :14:28.recent loss of life at the Grenfell Tower in North Kensington West

:14:29. > :14:32.London and the loss of life in those dreadful tower attacks in London and

:14:33. > :14:36.Manchester. The Queen has issued the statement today to say that what is

:14:37. > :14:41.traditionally a day of celebration, is clearly also a day where we must

:14:42. > :14:47.reflect the sombre mood of the nation in Her Majesty's words. So

:14:48. > :14:54.the decision was taken by Her Majesty to lead a one minute's

:14:55. > :16:17.silence before the Birthday Parade gets under way.

:16:18. > :16:25.The scene at Buckingham Palace, Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh

:16:26. > :16:33.standing in silence for a minute before the first departures in the

:16:34. > :16:37.Queen's Birthday Parade of 2017. The Household Cavalry providing the

:16:38. > :16:40.Sovereign's Escort, standing by for the Queen to leave for the parade

:16:41. > :16:46.but before that, other members of the Royal family will make the

:16:47. > :16:57.journey along the mouth to horse guards. -- along the Mall.

:16:58. > :17:05.The first carriage procession is on its way. It will include the Duchess

:17:06. > :17:51.of Cambridge, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry...

:17:52. > :18:15.The Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry and the Duchess of Cambridge

:18:16. > :18:21.in the first carriage, emerging from the Palace on a sunny but rather

:18:22. > :18:28.sombre morning, following that national silence led by the Queen.

:18:29. > :18:31.And then we have in the second carriage, the Duke of York and the

:18:32. > :18:38.Earl of Wessex and the Duke of York's daughters. The crowds

:18:39. > :18:44.acknowledging the first carriage and the second as it passes, and in the

:18:45. > :18:45.following carriage, we have the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the

:18:46. > :19:01.Duke of Kent. The Duke of Gloucester, cousin to

:19:02. > :19:05.the Queen, the Duke of Kent, of course, a cousin to both the Queen

:19:06. > :19:09.and the Duke of Edinburgh. So this procession is slightly later than

:19:10. > :19:13.usual because of the minute's silent but making its way along the Mall in

:19:14. > :19:17.glorious sunshine with big crowds already gathered and later, there

:19:18. > :19:21.will be even greater crowds back at the Palace following the parade for

:19:22. > :19:26.the appearance on the balcony of the entire Royal family, and a very

:19:27. > :19:30.impressive fly past, the birthday fly-past by the Royal Air Force,

:19:31. > :19:44.featuring some 29 aircraft. That is all to come.

:19:45. > :19:49.The Duchess of Cornwall, in the first carriage, earlier this month,

:19:50. > :19:54.a few days after the attack on London bridge, was with the Prince

:19:55. > :19:57.of Wales at the Royal London Hospital, visiting members of the

:19:58. > :20:06.public there who were injured in the London bridge attack. And last week,

:20:07. > :20:11.the Duchess of Cambridge watched the Colonel's Review Wendy Duke of

:20:12. > :20:14.Cambridge oversaw the parade as Colonel of the Irish Guards. -- when

:20:15. > :21:06.the Duke of Cambridge. The Royal Salute is founded by the

:21:07. > :21:12.Field officer's Trumpeter Of The Sovereign's Escort, Drew the Joe

:21:13. > :21:16.Gregg of the lifeguards. This year, the Queen celebrated her 91st

:21:17. > :21:19.birthday in April and is attending her 65th Birthday Parade as

:21:20. > :21:25.sovereign, a record unmatched by a British monarch. 2017 also marks the

:21:26. > :21:27.first-ever sapphire jubilee for a British monarch, passing the

:21:28. > :21:36.remarkable milestone of 65 years on the throne. At Her Majesty's side

:21:37. > :21:41.once again this year, the Duke of Edinburgh, who celebrated his 96th

:21:42. > :21:46.birthday last Saturday. The Royal household and out last month that

:21:47. > :21:49.the Duke would not be undertaking public engagements from the autumn,

:21:50. > :21:53.stepping back from lots of his commitment that he had over the

:21:54. > :21:58.years but he is here today in his capacity as Colonel of the Grenadier

:21:59. > :21:59.Guards, but for the first time at parade, he is not in his Colonel's

:22:00. > :22:20.uniform. -- at the parade. Followed in the procession by the

:22:21. > :22:23.Royal Colonels, the Princess Royal on the left, there, who is the

:22:24. > :22:28.Colonel of the Blues and Royals, a position she has held since 1998 and

:22:29. > :22:32.then the Duke of Cambridge in his seventh year riding as Colonel of

:22:33. > :22:35.the Irish Guards and the Prince of Wales, riding as Colonel of the

:22:36. > :22:40.Welsh Guards, a role he has undertaken for the past 42 years.

:22:41. > :22:45.The Prince of Wales succeeded his father on St David's Day 1975 as

:22:46. > :22:49.Colonel of the Welsh Guards. The Duke of Edinburgh had been Colonel

:22:50. > :22:53.of the Welsh Guards since 1953 up until Mike Dean 75. And then the

:22:54. > :22:57.Duke of Cambridge, a very special year for him because it is his

:22:58. > :23:10.regiment who will be Trooping the Colour today.

:23:11. > :23:16.The first section of carriages arriving at Horse Guards Parade,

:23:17. > :23:22.just passing the youth enclosure on the left, with hundreds of members

:23:23. > :23:31.of the girl guides and the Brownies and the Boys' Brigade greeting the

:23:32. > :23:36.carriages as they pass. And we can see that the guards' formation has

:23:37. > :23:41.changed because number three guard has opened to make way for the first

:23:42. > :23:46.royal guests, as the band prepares to play the national anthem to Greek

:23:47. > :23:50.them. And then the royal party will have the best view in the house,

:23:51. > :23:55.really, watching the parade from the Major General's office overlooking

:23:56. > :23:59.Horse Guards, the office once used by the Duke of Wellington.

:24:00. > :24:31.Prince Harry saluting the Colour. An St Patrick's Day, 17th of March, the

:24:32. > :24:34.Duchess of Cambridge was presenting sprigs of shamrock to the Irish

:24:35. > :24:38.Guards during the annual St Patrick's Day parade will stop the

:24:39. > :24:41.presence of the Dutch as this year at the ceremony is upholding a

:24:42. > :24:44.tradition that has been maintained by a female member of the Royal

:24:45. > :24:50.family since it was started by Queen Alexandra in 1901. For decades, it

:24:51. > :24:53.was maintained by the late Queen Mother, of course, who first

:24:54. > :24:58.attended the shamrock ceremony in 1928 but this was the scene on March

:24:59. > :25:03.the 17th this year. Lovely images, Chris, and again, underlining forest

:25:04. > :25:08.the absolute importance of tradition for the Irish Guards. Quite right,

:25:09. > :25:12.St Patrick's Day is a very special day for all Irish Guards men, in a

:25:13. > :25:17.family regiment, it is our family gathering, a time to meet up and

:25:18. > :25:20.catch up with old friends. Since 2012, the shamrock has been

:25:21. > :25:23.presented by the Duchess of Cambridge. It is a relationship we

:25:24. > :25:30.value particularly highly because she's a part our family.

:25:31. > :25:37.A great site on the Mall and the Brigade Major, David Hannah of the

:25:38. > :25:44.Irish Guards, followed by four troopers of the lifeguards, leading

:25:45. > :25:47.the sovereign's procession, the top finishers of the Princess Elizabeth

:25:48. > :25:50.Cup, the annual regimental competition, so they have earned

:25:51. > :25:57.their place is here today in such a prominent role. And the Brigade

:25:58. > :26:03.Major, riding Bastian today, is the one responsible for the precise

:26:04. > :26:08.timing of today's procession. Then of course, the great site of the

:26:09. > :26:12.mountain bands of the Household Cavalry -- the great sight of the

:26:13. > :26:16.mounted band of the Household Cavalry. The great Drum Horses

:26:17. > :26:27.making their way along to Horse Guards Parade. The mounted band is

:26:28. > :26:35.directed by Captain James Marshall of the Blues and Royals, the

:26:36. > :26:38.assistant Director of Music. The first and second divisions of the

:26:39. > :26:42.Sovereign's Escort provided this year by the lifeguards, unmistakable

:26:43. > :26:49.in their dazzling red tunics with white plumes, the senior regiment in

:26:50. > :26:54.the British Army, raised in 1658 by the exiled king, Charles II. The

:26:55. > :26:57.field officer of the Escort, Major James Harbour ward, it is his last

:26:58. > :27:07.Birthday Parade today as he retires from the Army in December. -- Major

:27:08. > :27:11.James Harbord. And then the third and fourth divisions of the

:27:12. > :27:17.Sovereign's Escort provided by the Blues and Royals in their dark blue

:27:18. > :27:22.tunics and red blooms. The state helmets designed by Prince Albert in

:27:23. > :27:24.1842. The tradition we see today of inviting the Household Cavalry to

:27:25. > :27:31.escort the sovereign to the parade was introduced, I suppose relatively

:27:32. > :27:37.recently, if you look at the great arc of history, in 1937 by King

:27:38. > :27:42.George VI. The Duke of Edinburgh has enjoyed a very long connection with

:27:43. > :27:51.the Birthday Parade. He always enjoys attending. Today's events, of

:27:52. > :27:55.course, a celebration of Her Majesty's official birthday, the

:27:56. > :27:58.tradition established by Edward VII because his actual birthday fell in

:27:59. > :28:02.November so he chose June is a much more promising month in which to

:28:03. > :28:03.hold a Birthday Parade and today proves that he was right. The

:28:04. > :28:26.weather is indeed glorious. The Royal Colonels, following the

:28:27. > :28:33.procession behind the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, along this great

:28:34. > :28:34.processional route which was designed by Sir Aston Webb more than

:28:35. > :29:08.a century ago. It was in 1947 that Princess

:29:09. > :29:13.Elizabeth, and she then was, took part in her first parade as Colonel

:29:14. > :29:19.of the Grenadier Guards. In 1951, when the king was ill, she took his

:29:20. > :29:25.place on Horse Guards. A year later, riding a horse called Winston, she

:29:26. > :29:29.took part as Queen. She has been here every year since then with the

:29:30. > :29:32.exception of 1955 when there was a rail strike, and every year, it is a

:29:33. > :29:45.remarkable spectacle. The Mounted Bands are now on the

:29:46. > :29:55.approach road, passing the youth enclosure. They will burst into

:29:56. > :30:02.applause -- applause when they catch sight of the Queen and the Duke. 150

:30:03. > :30:06.members of the girl guides, the Girls' Brigade, the Brownies, the

:30:07. > :30:10.Rainbows, some 90 members of the Boys' Brigade, and some Boy Scout as

:30:11. > :30:29.well. -- Boy Scouts as well. All the flags of the Commonwealth

:30:30. > :30:34.are being flown today in order of joining that organisation. Just

:30:35. > :30:40.underlining again the Queen's very strong belief in the value of the

:30:41. > :30:50.Commonwealth with its values and its ambition of friendship and

:30:51. > :30:54.collaboration. The Queen's coach man this year is Philip Barnard Brown

:30:55. > :30:59.from Melbourne. Philip has been at the Royal Mews for 16 years and we

:31:00. > :31:02.believe he is the first Australian to achieve the position of the

:31:03. > :31:32.coachman to the Queen. Among those watching in the stands

:31:33. > :31:43.are 11 Chelsea Pensioners, they are led by Colonel Mark Baker. They are

:31:44. > :31:49.looking very smart in their coats and tricorne hats. The Queen's

:31:50. > :31:58.carriage is crossing on to the parade ground. The head coachman

:31:59. > :32:04.will salute the Colour with his whip. And the Queen's Birthday

:32:05. > :32:09.Parade of 2017 is about to begin. The Royal Standard will be released.

:32:10. > :32:10.The Field Officer will give his command and then the National Anthem

:32:11. > :33:45.will be played. Shoulder arms.

:33:46. > :33:51.The Queen's first task is to inspect the line of guards. It is an

:33:52. > :33:57.opportunity for the Massed Bands to entertain. Music for the slow

:33:58. > :34:02.inspection has been arranged for today's parade by the Irish cards

:34:03. > :35:41.current Director of Music Major Bruce Miller.

:35:42. > :36:02.The music changes to feature Sweet Dublin Bay. The Queen is

:36:03. > :36:37.Colonel-In-Chief of all the regiments on parade today. Their

:36:38. > :36:41.motto The Standard Bearer is Corporal Major Daniel Sentance who

:36:42. > :36:43.returned to ceremonial duties last year after three tours in

:36:44. > :36:55.Afghanistan. The procession continues

:36:56. > :36:58.past the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery -

:36:59. > :37:07.commanded by Major Jim Luck - whose members will be

:37:08. > :37:09.making a grand entrance later on - their lead gun

:37:10. > :37:11.is in The officer in charge

:37:12. > :37:14.of the entire Household Division - and general

:37:15. > :37:16.officer commanding London District -

:37:17. > :37:18.is Major-General Ben Bathurst - who commanded this

:37:19. > :37:20.parade a few years ago. He shared his thoughts

:37:21. > :37:24.on his new role. Well, it's a huge privilege

:37:25. > :37:26.as the Major-General commanding the Household Division and I think

:37:27. > :37:30.particularly given this year, only so recently we've been

:37:31. > :37:33.conducting Operation Temperer, so all the soldiers you will

:37:34. > :37:35.see going past were, just a couple of weeks ago,

:37:36. > :37:37.assisting the police I'll think of all the men

:37:38. > :37:43.and women on parade, how they do their jobs,

:37:44. > :37:46.whatever they are asked to do, so professionally,

:37:47. > :37:51.so successfully. So it's a first parade

:37:52. > :37:55.for Major-General Bathurst - but it's a final Birthday Parade

:37:56. > :37:58.as senior director of music for Lt Col Kevin

:37:59. > :38:01.Roberts of the Welsh Guards after three

:38:02. > :38:19.very successful years. It's important we get the music

:38:20. > :38:24.right so it reflects the various elements and it lifts people where

:38:25. > :38:28.it needs to. I need to keep an element in my mind focus odden the

:38:29. > :38:32.words of command and the music. I'm hoping that I can rely on my

:38:33. > :38:43.experience to really enjoy and savour this, my last parade.

:38:44. > :38:47.Kevin Roberts sharing his thoughts with us and Ben Bathurst too. A

:38:48. > :38:53.quick word on the challenge facing Ben today. Well, Huw, a hugely

:38:54. > :38:56.important day for him. A hugely experienced operational soldier. And

:38:57. > :39:02.he will be applying the standards of operations to today, but quite a

:39:03. > :39:07.moment for him. A big moment now for the Massed Bands getting the parade

:39:08. > :39:09.proper under way as they prepare to perform one of the real highlights

:39:10. > :39:26.of the parade for over a century. Massed Bands by the centre. Slow

:39:27. > :42:07.march. With that raised trombone, the band

:42:08. > :43:03.will get ready for that quick march in a moment.

:43:04. > :43:53.MUSIC: "Les Huguenots" - Meyerbeer arr Godfrey.

:43:54. > :44:07.Massed Bands, by the centre, quick march!

:44:08. > :44:16.The familiar figure of Major Scott Fitzgerald in his final Birthday

:44:17. > :44:29.Parade ordering Messines Ridge composed by David Millar.

:44:30. > :44:33.MUSIC: "Messines Ridge" - Miller. The lone drummer breaks away. He is

:44:34. > :44:38.from Ballymoney in Northern Ireland. He is acknowledged to be the best

:44:39. > :44:40.drummer in the regiment. He is getting ready for the next phase of

:44:41. > :47:20.the parade. The drama playing eight bars of a

:47:21. > :47:23.field signal calling the Drummer's Call, recalling an age when field

:47:24. > :47:42.signals were made using drums. Remainder, change

:47:43. > :47:53.arms, stand at ease. The orderly, Guardsman Rainey, who

:47:54. > :47:58.is from Birmingham, marching two years ago, comes forward to take the

:47:59. > :48:00.paste it from Regimental Sergeant Major Daniel Hinton who can then

:48:01. > :48:02.draw his sword ready to protect the Colour in the next phase of the

:48:03. > :48:28.parade. Escort for the Colour,

:48:29. > :48:40.by the left, quick march. The Escort stepping off very smartly

:48:41. > :48:47.to Do Much Of The British Grenadiers, a good opportunity for

:48:48. > :48:50.the men to stretch their legs and show their style and flair after

:48:51. > :48:54.weeks of hard work. It is a great moment. Big moment for the Escort,

:48:55. > :48:58.are really proud moment, they have spent hours preparing for this.

:48:59. > :49:02.Drawn from the Support Company, the more experienced soldiers in the

:49:03. > :49:07.battalion, highly unusual for them to provide the Escort and they won

:49:08. > :49:09.the privilege in a drill completion and today is their reward and when

:49:10. > :49:12.you talk to the men in the Escort, thinking back to the idea it is a

:49:13. > :49:15.unique honour and although you may do several of the Birthday Parade is

:49:16. > :49:19.in a career, you are very unlikely to be in the Escort more than once,

:49:20. > :49:44.making today a real career highlight for each and every one of them.

:49:45. > :49:49.So the Escort marches forward and they will stop some 16 paces from

:49:50. > :50:06.the Colour Party, ready for the collection to take place.

:50:07. > :50:25.Halt! Escort for the Colour, in open order, right dress. Massed Bands

:50:26. > :50:31.will retire. About turn! The Massed Bands, turning to face the Colour

:50:32. > :50:34.Party and the senior director, Kevin Roberts, making his way through the

:50:35. > :50:51.band to a new position, close to the front.

:50:52. > :51:15.Guards attention. Change arms. Slope arms.

:51:16. > :51:21.And this is a very proud moment for Regimental Sergeant Major Daniel

:51:22. > :51:26.Hinton as he now prepares to take possession of the Colour, protecting

:51:27. > :51:30.it with his sword, ready to hand it over its safety to the Emerson,

:51:31. > :51:31.Second Lieutenant O'Connor, who will then troop the Colour through the

:51:32. > :52:10.ranks. From the old hand to the new. Second

:52:11. > :52:15.Lieutenant O'Conor, today's Anson, receives the Colour ready for the

:52:16. > :52:40.trooping, and places it safely in his white Colour belts. -- belt.

:52:41. > :53:25.Escort to the Colour, slope arms. The Ensign and Sergeant Major resume

:53:26. > :53:29.their positions in the Escort and we have now entered a new phase in the

:53:30. > :53:30.parade because having taken possession, they have become the

:53:31. > :53:57.Escort to the Colour. Escort to the Colour, change arms.

:53:58. > :54:06.Escort to the Colour, by the centre, slow march.

:54:07. > :54:14.So the Escort advances now in slow time, the bands playing Escort To

:54:15. > :54:18.The Colour by Richard Ridings, which has been played at this point ever

:54:19. > :54:22.since 1978 and very soon, the bands will have to negotiate what everyone

:54:23. > :54:30.acknowledges is a rather daunting manoeuvre.

:54:31. > :54:41.This is the military equivalent of a 3-point turn, they say, known as the

:54:42. > :54:45.Spin Wheel, 200 musicians supported by the chorus drums, having to

:54:46. > :54:53.change direction without changing formation. -- supported by the corps

:54:54. > :54:56.of drums. Among them is Drum Major Smiley of the Irish Guards and he

:54:57. > :55:00.wants us to know that his five-year-old son Adam is watching

:55:01. > :55:03.the parade at home in Datchet and of course, other people watching from

:55:04. > :55:06.different vantage point, like the Duchess of Cornwall, there, in the

:55:07. > :55:49.Major-General's office overlooking Horse Guards.

:55:50. > :56:13.The music changes to the Grenadiers Slow March written by Frederick

:56:14. > :56:17.Harris, the Escort Trooping the Colour through the ranks, the

:56:18. > :56:23.symbolic foundation of this parade, the specific honour is to parade the

:56:24. > :56:24.regimental standard or Colour as a rallying point as armies have done

:56:25. > :57:18.through the centuries. All eyes of course on the Ensign,

:57:19. > :57:23.Her Majesty looking in great detail, and the audience, and the millions

:57:24. > :57:25.of viewers around the world, Second Lieutenant O'Conor who was

:57:26. > :57:27.commissioned from Sandhurst last summer.

:57:28. > :57:29.He's been telling us about the honour of being

:57:30. > :57:31.chosen and how he's been preparing for this

:57:32. > :57:44.I'm very much aware of the symbolism of the colours.

:57:45. > :57:48.For the Irish Guards, it is a great opportunity to show off our regiment

:57:49. > :57:50.and history to the public and hopefully I will do it justice on

:57:51. > :57:58.the day. A lot of hard work has gone into

:57:59. > :58:01.this, Chris, not just for the Ensign but for all of those taking part in

:58:02. > :58:06.the parade, as you know, having taken part yourself. Absolutely, and

:58:07. > :58:09.memories of 21 years ago fresh but looking at it now, the Colour as the

:58:10. > :58:13.central part in the parade today and it is the central part of the

:58:14. > :58:16.battalion, it has enormous significance, not only for the Irish

:58:17. > :58:21.Guards past and present, the people on parade today, but it is a

:58:22. > :58:23.consecrated symbol of the Battalion of the regiment, it was used

:58:24. > :58:27.hundreds of years ago as a rallying point in battle and the act of

:58:28. > :58:32.Trooping the Colour was to ensure that every minute what his Colour

:58:33. > :58:35.looked like so today as much as then, Carlas are revered as a

:58:36. > :58:38.central part of the battalion and to all those on parade, it represents

:58:39. > :58:42.the spirit and the soul of the regiment. Those who have been killed

:58:43. > :58:46.in action, our past achievements, and it provides an enduring link to

:58:47. > :58:50.the monarchy, as the Queen, Al Colonel in Chief, presents the

:58:51. > :58:52.colours, so I really proud moment for the Ensign as he troops the

:58:53. > :59:39.Colour in front of his fellow guardsmen.

:59:40. > :59:45.The Escort arriving alongside number to guard and then passing to its

:59:46. > :59:46.original position, the right guide of number two guard, company

:59:47. > :59:55.Sergeant Major Griffiths. Halt! Escort to the Colour will

:59:56. > :00:09.advance. Left turn. Escort to the Colour. Change arms.

:00:10. > :01:26.Escort to the Colour. Present arms. Numbers one to five guards will

:01:27. > :01:29.retire. Turn. Guides steady. At the halt. Right form. Quick

:01:30. > :01:46.march. Music was composed after the World

:01:47. > :01:50.War by Tom Birkett of the Coldstream Guards as we prepare for the next

:01:51. > :02:02.phase of the Queen's Birthday Parade.

:02:03. > :02:38.Numbers one to gif guards will advance. Turn.

:02:39. > :02:54.Number six guard, close order, march. Number six guard will move to

:02:55. > :03:06.the right in threes. Four threes. March.

:03:07. > :03:20.Guards will march past in slow and quick time. By the left, slow march.

:03:21. > :03:28.So the trooping phase is complete and the march past is about to

:03:29. > :03:34.begin. We start with a neutral slow march. It is not tied to any

:03:35. > :03:40.particular regiment and that march is Proud Heritage. It is another

:03:41. > :03:52.composition by Major Bruce Miller from the Irish Guards.

:03:53. > :04:06.MUSIC: "Proud Heritage" by Bruce Miller.

:04:07. > :04:18.Countless of hours of hard work on the Parade Ring bearing fruit.

:04:19. > :04:26.A great sea of scarlet tunics. Such a wonderful and uplifting sight.

:04:27. > :04:30.The 1st Battalion Irish Guards based in Hounslow and employed in state

:04:31. > :04:34.ceremonial public duties and support company, as Chris you were saying, a

:04:35. > :04:41.very important part of that effort? Hugely, Huw. Support company man the

:04:42. > :04:50.support weapons in the battalion and that come price the anti-tank

:04:51. > :04:58.rockets and the mortars. Each and every one of these men are heavily

:04:59. > :05:02.trained and fighting soldiers. And the discipline, the teamwork, the

:05:03. > :05:12.attention to detail that you can see today are also the foundations of

:05:13. > :05:16.second ses on combat operations. That makes them ceremonial soldiers

:05:17. > :05:42.and in combat operations. The Irish Guards have Trooped their

:05:43. > :05:47.Colour on 13 occasions. Nine of those have been for Her Majesty the

:05:48. > :05:53.Queen. The Escort is being led by Field

:05:54. > :06:00.Officer Lieutenant Colonel Palmer and the Major of the Parade as we

:06:01. > :06:07.see number two guard approaching. A special mention there for Major

:06:08. > :06:13.Charles Gair who was with Vince Hockley in Afghanistan. We saw Vince

:06:14. > :06:19.Hockley earlier and his remarkable recovery from his wounds. Major

:06:20. > :06:36.Charlie Gair was commanding the control in which Vince was shot.

:06:37. > :06:39.Charlie got the men to safety. The bearskins being worn tend to be

:06:40. > :06:43.passed from one generation until the next until recently we were told

:06:44. > :06:46.that one cold stream officer was still wearing one that was used in a

:06:47. > :07:05.battle in 1854. Soon the music will change to the

:07:06. > :07:40.Irish Guards Slow March. Field Officer Jonathan Palmer and

:07:41. > :08:01.the Major of the Parade is ready to lead the march past.

:08:02. > :08:13.The Queen acknowledges the Colour. The music has changed to the Irish

:08:14. > :08:20.Guards Slow March. It is called Let Erin Remember. The ensign lowers the

:08:21. > :08:44.Colour as he passes the saluting base.

:08:45. > :08:52.MUSIC: "Let Erin Remember". Raising the sclaurp once again ones the

:08:53. > :09:15.march past is complete. Looking on no doubt with a measure

:09:16. > :09:17.of pride is Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, colonel of the Irish

:09:18. > :09:56.Guards since 2011. A change of music for the Grenadier

:09:57. > :10:04.Guards slow march. It is Handel's Scipio. No doubt one of those

:10:05. > :10:15.watching most keenly is the colonel of the Grenadier Guards, the Duke of

:10:16. > :10:24.Edinburgh. MUSIC: "Scipio" by Handel. The Scots

:10:25. > :10:31.Guards slow march, Garb Of Auld Gaul. The third member of the salute

:10:32. > :10:47.base, the Duke of Kent is colonel of the Scots Guards.

:10:48. > :10:57.The slow march of the Coldstream Guards from Mozart's Figaro.

:10:58. > :11:23.Their colonel is Sir James Bucknall. The Adjutant of the Parade Captain

:11:24. > :11:31.Max dao har of the Irish Guards is riding Conner today, Max Doohar. The

:11:32. > :11:42.music changes to the mutual slow march. This time the Royal Standard.

:11:43. > :11:45.Field Officer of the brigade is waiting, Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan

:11:46. > :11:46.Palmer will ride out to salute the Queen now that the slow march is

:11:47. > :12:18.complete. Yes, indeed, all eyes on Horse

:12:19. > :12:22.Guards Parade today and many thousands of friends and family are

:12:23. > :12:25.present, enjoying the sunshine, enjoying the music and enjoying the

:12:26. > :12:34.drill, the precision and the smartness of the parade.

:12:35. > :12:42.My colleague Sonali has been catching up with one of those proud

:12:43. > :12:46.relatives, Anita Ward, mother of Vince Hockley. I'm with Colour

:12:47. > :12:51.Sergeant's Vince Hockley's mother, Anita Ward. I know that you have

:12:52. > :12:54.been at the Queen's Birthday Parade when you were Lord Mayor of

:12:55. > :12:58.Birmingham. But it is the first time as a proud mum? It is. So very

:12:59. > :13:02.different from when I was here as Lord Mayor. A lot of pride from

:13:03. > :13:06.myself and from the whole family today. And earlier on in the

:13:07. > :13:11.programme we heard about Vince's injuries, to go from there to being

:13:12. > :13:16.here on parade today, just makes it all so extra special, doesn't it? It

:13:17. > :13:19.is, but it has been down to his own determination, his own will power

:13:20. > :13:23.and I have to say the support that he has had from those around him.

:13:24. > :13:26.Including your father who was in the Coldstream Guards and he will be

:13:27. > :13:30.watching from home today? He is and he will be bursting with pride as

:13:31. > :13:35.well. There has been a lot of rivalry over the years between the

:13:36. > :13:39.cold streamers, but dad will be in his element today. Well, enjoy the

:13:40. > :13:44.parade. It's such a proud day for the family. Thank you very much for

:13:45. > :13:53.talking to us. Thank you. Bursting with pride. Lovely to talk

:13:54. > :14:05.to Anita. We're preparing for the march past in quick time.

:14:06. > :14:10.A word about the pipers. We can see them moving from the rear to the

:14:11. > :14:14.front of the Massed Bands. 20 pipers, ten from the Irish Guards

:14:15. > :14:17.and ten from the Scots Guards. Such a lot of style and they add such a

:14:18. > :14:22.great quality to the music on the day. So a special mention for them.

:14:23. > :14:29.The guards have now reformed ready to march past in quick time. A new

:14:30. > :14:37.change of tempo led by the Senior Time Beater from the Scots Guards.

:14:38. > :14:45.The neutral quick march is Star Of Erin.

:14:46. > :14:46.It was composed by Major Gerry Horabin who wrote this for the

:14:47. > :15:36.Birthday Parade in 1974. Among the spectators is Boris

:15:37. > :15:39.Johnson, the brand secretary, with distinguished guests, and other

:15:40. > :15:43.visitors including Sir Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary. We

:15:44. > :15:47.are told that the Prime Minister, Theresa May, is not at the parade

:15:48. > :15:55.this morning, as we prepare for the march past in quick time, and a real

:15:56. > :15:59.sense of energy and pace. Great as well, Chris, to mention all the

:16:00. > :16:03.family support that is so essential in regimental life. Indeed, the

:16:04. > :16:06.Irish Guards take great pride in being a family regiment and so many

:16:07. > :16:11.of the men on parade today well, like me, have a father, uncle all

:16:12. > :16:16.the relation in the regiment. For example, in the Escort alone is

:16:17. > :16:18.guardsmen Lee Mooney, whose father, grandfather and great-grandfather

:16:19. > :16:27.when the regiment and there are two sets up brothers, -- of brothers,

:16:28. > :16:33.and guardsmen Jacob Todd, one of the Colour Sentries, had fathered -- bug

:16:34. > :16:34.in the regiment, great to see so many Irish Guards families

:16:35. > :16:36.represented on parade and their families will be in the stands

:16:37. > :17:15.today, sharing the spectacle. The Irish Guards quick march, St

:17:16. > :18:19.Patrick's Day. A great surge in the music of the

:18:20. > :18:29.pipes, giving way to the Grenadier Guards' quick march, The British

:18:30. > :18:33.Grenadiers. Nijmegen Company, number four company had the honour of

:18:34. > :18:41.providing the Escort in 2014. The Scots Guards quick march, Hielan'

:18:42. > :18:42.Laddie, F Company, Scots Guards, an incremental company of Scots Guards

:18:43. > :18:58.based at Wellington Barracks. The Coldstream Guards' quick march,

:18:59. > :19:04.Milanollo, number six guard, followed by No 7 Company Coldstream

:19:05. > :19:12.Guards. -- formed by No 7 Company Coldstream Guards.

:19:13. > :19:18.Vizier next year for the Coldstream Guards probably because we expect

:19:19. > :19:34.they will be Trooping the Colour at the Birthday Parade in 2018.

:19:35. > :19:39.Be field officer riding out once again to salute the Queen with two

:19:40. > :19:41.movements of the sword. The Massed Bands play

:19:42. > :19:43.the neutral quick march, Mick's March arranged by MJ

:19:44. > :19:45.Henderson, former Director of Music Irish Guards, written for

:19:46. > :19:48.the Birthday Parade in 1996. As the Guards reform

:19:49. > :19:50.for the next stage of the parade, there's

:19:51. > :20:01.a moment's relief for the commanding officer Lieutenant

:20:02. > :20:03.Colonel Jonathan Palmer. It's such a great

:20:04. > :20:05.moment for him, his family And he's been sharing

:20:06. > :20:08.his views with us. It's lovely for me as the commanding

:20:09. > :20:11.officer to be doing something so visible in front of the blokes

:20:12. > :20:14.and to be doing something I can shout all I like,

:20:15. > :20:17.but if they don't react to the words of command,

:20:18. > :20:20.then it doesn't work. I think just being in front

:20:21. > :20:23.of the Queen, I think that'll be the lasting memory,

:20:24. > :20:26.because she's an amazing woman. I hope everyone who is on parade

:20:27. > :20:28.today will look back and, even when they're in their dotage,

:20:29. > :20:32.give it the old, I was there. Pull up a chair and

:20:33. > :20:37.listen to my story. Not a bad name to have, Chris? I

:20:38. > :20:41.think it's entirely reasonable and Jonathan Palmer will be feeling it

:20:42. > :20:44.100%. I've known him for over 20 years, we met when he first visited

:20:45. > :20:47.the battalion in Germany when he was thinking about joining the army and

:20:48. > :20:51.he is now highly experienced soldier who has done several tours of duty

:20:52. > :20:57.in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is a qualified military parachutist, a

:20:58. > :20:59.reflection of the Irish Guards link with the Parachute Regiment in the

:21:00. > :21:01.paratrooper doom, just three months into his time in command and he

:21:02. > :21:07.learn to write specially for the parade as we heard earlier. I think

:21:08. > :21:08.it is going well so far for him. -- he learned to ride especially for

:21:09. > :22:20.the parade. Guards, all! -- halt! Guards,

:22:21. > :22:35.shoulder arms. The Colour is now taken to the front

:22:36. > :23:19.of the Escort. Guards, in open order, left and

:23:20. > :23:24.right dress. Massed Bands, moved to the right. Right turn! By the left,

:23:25. > :23:37.quick march! The great site, the Footguards

:23:38. > :23:42.reforming, and soon it will be the turn of the mounted troops. -- the

:23:43. > :23:47.great sight, then mounted troops will cross the parade ground and

:23:48. > :23:52.pass the salute. Very hot weather here in central London today,

:23:53. > :23:58.presenting a challenge, of course, not just to the men and women taking

:23:59. > :24:09.part in this parade but for the horses as well.

:24:10. > :24:15.The Massed Bands and drums moving to the south side of the parade ground

:24:16. > :24:52.to make space for the Mounted Bands. The band of the Household Cavalry

:24:53. > :24:55.moving on to Horse Guards, led by the assistant Director of Music,

:24:56. > :25:05.Captain James Marshall of the Blues and Royals. This is the 20th year

:25:06. > :25:09.that the King's troop, Royal Horse Artillery have been on parade and

:25:10. > :25:11.they join the event at Horse Guards at the request of the Royal family,

:25:12. > :25:29.first taking part in 1998. The King's troop, be saluting

:25:30. > :25:34.battery of the household troops, essentially, formed back in 1946 at

:25:35. > :25:37.the instigation of King George VI, to revive the firing of royal

:25:38. > :25:44.salutes on anniversaries and state occasions. Last Saturday, indeed,

:25:45. > :25:45.they fired a Royal Salute to mark the Duke of Edinburgh's 96th

:25:46. > :26:10.birthday. The great sight of the Drum Horses,

:26:11. > :26:14.Damas and mercury, and the are very heavy, given to the lifeguards by

:26:15. > :26:38.William IV in 1831, weighing around 45 kilograms each.

:26:39. > :26:43.The King's troop commanded by Major Jim Luck, on his first Birthday

:26:44. > :26:45.Parade, taking command last autumn. He has been deployed to Afghanistan

:26:46. > :27:13.on three occasions. Her Majesty will be acknowledging,

:27:14. > :27:20.in this instance, the lead gun, prominently on display, in effect

:27:21. > :27:23.the Colour of the troop, so the 13 pounder quickfire guns have that

:27:24. > :27:31.status. The entered service in 1904 and all six on parade today were

:27:32. > :27:35.used in the First World War. It has taken 12 hours of work to prepare

:27:36. > :27:41.the guns to be in the prime condition they are in for the

:27:42. > :27:46.parade. The King's troop has kept the title of King's troop on the

:27:47. > :27:51.orders of Her Majesty the Queen in memory of her late father, George

:27:52. > :28:06.VI, who chose the original name, King's troop, 70 years ago.

:28:07. > :28:15.The Field Officer of the Sovereign's Escort, Major James Harbord, as

:28:16. > :28:19.field officer, commanding the Household Cavalry troops on parade,

:28:20. > :28:24.having been on parade two years ago as an escort commander. The

:28:25. > :28:28.standard-bearer is Squadron Corporal Major Daniel Sentance, watched by

:28:29. > :28:36.his wife, Lucy, and his parent in the stands. He is riding Kimberley,

:28:37. > :28:40.a word about him? Not the first time he has worked with the Irish Guards.

:28:41. > :28:43.When I was commanding the Irish Guards in Afghanistan in 2010 and

:28:44. > :28:48.2011, we worked very closely with the Household Cavalry Squadron and I

:28:49. > :28:51.remember Daniel Sentance in it. It is great to see him working with the

:28:52. > :28:54.Irish Guards again and a further emphasis on the dual roles,

:28:55. > :29:00.ceremonial and operational, across the whole Household Division. Here

:29:01. > :29:03.come the Blues and Royals, the Household Cavalry consisting of two

:29:04. > :29:08.regiment, the lifeguards and the Blues and Royals, the senior

:29:09. > :29:15.regiment of the British Army. -- the life guards. And the farriers, with

:29:16. > :29:16.their glinting axis, who in times gone by would dispatch horses

:29:17. > :29:38.injured in battle. The music is The Royals, arranged by

:29:39. > :30:07.Major Ted Jeanes. The field officer's trumpeter is Joe

:30:08. > :30:11.Gregg of the lifeguards from his first Birthday Parade, from Orkney,

:30:12. > :30:15.did not set out to be a trumpeter Don he tells us but says it is a

:30:16. > :30:19.great honour to be part of an important occasion like this. And

:30:20. > :30:24.the trumpeter's course is a grey so it is very visible on the

:30:25. > :30:35.battlefield. -- trumpeter's horse is a grave. -- grey. A dramatic surge

:30:36. > :30:44.of speed and pace and energy. This is the trot past. The King's Troop

:30:45. > :30:46.were recently deployed to central London to support the police in key

:30:47. > :30:51.locations including Downing Street as part of operation tempora, a good

:30:52. > :30:59.moment for us to pay tribute to all members of the Armed Forces and all

:31:00. > :31:02.members of the services who have shown exceptional dedication in

:31:03. > :31:05.recent months, faced with harrowing circumstances. -- Operation

:31:06. > :31:29.Temperer. Major Jim Luck is riding Galaxy

:31:30. > :31:36.today. Each of the guns, followed by six horses. Kicking up a lot of dust

:31:37. > :31:47.on this very dry parade ground today. At the rear we have the

:31:48. > :32:00.masters of the troop and the first ever female ever master Taylor in

:32:01. > :32:06.the British Army, Sergeant Emma Colton.

:32:07. > :32:17.The turn of the Life Guards to trot past her imagine stead. Majesty.

:32:18. > :32:22.Carrying 43 Battle Honours including Passchendaele and that battle will

:32:23. > :33:01.be commemorated in special events at the end of July in Belgium.

:33:02. > :33:08.Led by Captain James Marshall. The band of the Household Cavalry

:33:09. > :33:12.presents its own birthday tribute. Kettle drummers, riding the Drum

:33:13. > :33:20.Horses, crossing their sticks in their special form of salute for the

:33:21. > :33:23.Queen. Musicians look magnificent wearing the state coat which signals

:33:24. > :33:31.that they are members of the Royal Household, crimson very well set and

:33:32. > :33:52.gold braid and lace. It has been unchanged pretty much since 1685.

:33:53. > :33:58.The band of the Household Cavalry moving to the other end of the

:33:59. > :34:01.parade ground, near the old admiralty building where the

:34:02. > :34:06.assistant Director of Music will come to a halt and turn inwards

:34:07. > :34:11.slightly and that's the signal that he's handing back control to the

:34:12. > :34:18.Field Officer, ready for that final Birthday Salute to the Queen in this

:34:19. > :36:12.Birthday Parade. Guards, in close order, left and

:36:13. > :36:14.right dress. The guards taking up their dressing. This time all the

:36:15. > :36:31.guards in one very long line. This again is the result of very

:36:32. > :36:34.disciplined work on the parade ground which we saw earlier at

:36:35. > :37:24.Pirbright. Guards, form three lines.

:37:25. > :37:35.Guards will retire, about turn. At the halt, by divisions, right form,

:37:36. > :37:42.quick march. As the guards reform into six

:37:43. > :37:50.divisions ready to march off, the music played is the Adjutant by scam

:37:51. > :37:54.major Tom Birkett. They are closing up to reduce the length of the

:37:55. > :38:08.procession which will take place imminently along the Mall.

:38:09. > :38:30.Guards on the He is sort, form close column. Remainder, by the left,

:38:31. > :38:37.quick march. So as the drums play Prussia's

:38:38. > :38:45.German Chancellor, the guards close up and the pace stick being returned

:38:46. > :39:20.now to the regimental Sergeant Major Danny Hinton by Guardsman Rainey.

:39:21. > :39:44.The left guide of the Escort, Colour Sergeant Darren Laurimore.

:39:45. > :39:52.And making their way to the Approach Road as we come to the end of the

:39:53. > :39:56.parade, garrison Sergeant Major Andrew Stokes of the Coldstream

:39:57. > :40:03.Guards accompanied by Drum Major Steve State. This is Andrew Stokes'

:40:04. > :40:07.second Birthday Parade. He joined the Army in 1988 he served in the

:40:08. > :40:10.Balkans and Iraq and Afghanistan. He is in charge of the arrangements for

:40:11. > :40:14.this parade on Horse Guards and there is a lot of responsibility on

:40:15. > :40:41.those very broad shoulders. The Field Officer prepares to ask

:40:42. > :41:06.Her Majesty's permission to march off to conclude this parade.

:41:07. > :41:25.Your Majesty's guards are ready to march off, Ma'am.

:41:26. > :41:33.So another Birthday Parade concluded in the Queen's 91st year, the 61st

:41:34. > :41:37.year of the Queen's reign and the formal part of the celebration, if

:41:38. > :41:49.you like, is over, but believe me, there is plenty of colour and

:41:50. > :41:55.pageantry and rousing music to come. There will be the march along the

:41:56. > :42:03.Mall. All the guards accompanied by Her Majesty and the Duke of

:42:04. > :42:07.Edinburgh and then there will be the fly-past at around one o'clock by

:42:08. > :42:14.the Royal Air Force. 29 aircraft. It's going to be pretty spectacular.

:42:15. > :42:17.Some of those Royal guests were watching in the Horse Guards

:42:18. > :42:22.building. They have already left and they are making their way back to

:42:23. > :42:28.the palace ready for that appearance on the balcony. Prince Harry with

:42:29. > :42:35.the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge. Extreme heat

:42:36. > :42:39.on Horse Guards today and that's clearly affected one or two of the

:42:40. > :42:45.members taking part. It is perfectly understandable. The Queen's carriage

:42:46. > :42:50.is now back at the saluting base ready for the journey back with her

:42:51. > :43:02.troops. With the troops of the Household Division. Her personal

:43:03. > :43:07.troops. Back to the area beyond St James' Park and down to the Queen

:43:08. > :43:11.Victoria Memorial and Buckingham Palace, it's a wonderful familiar

:43:12. > :43:13.journey. There will be thousands of people there to greet Her Majesty

:43:14. > :43:40.and the Duke when they arrive. It has been a very busy few days for

:43:41. > :43:45.members of the Royal Family. Yesterday, Her Majesty, was in West

:43:46. > :44:01.London visiting local people thereafter the dreadful events of

:44:02. > :44:06.recent days. That's very much been on Her Majesty's mind given the

:44:07. > :44:12.statement she released today. She said in the statement it is a day of

:44:13. > :44:13.celebration, but a sombre mood marking national events and she very

:44:14. > :44:33.much wanted to make that plain. The bands having saved some of the

:44:34. > :44:37.very best tunes for the end of the parade as the bands always do!

:44:38. > :44:44.Because this is a great moment to show case some of their best music

:44:45. > :44:49.as the parade is over and they've got a few minutes to perform for us

:44:50. > :44:56.as we watch the procession going back to Buckingham Palace.

:44:57. > :44:59.I should say as well Chris, that for the Field Officer, who, of course,

:45:00. > :45:05.has been in charge of this parade, it is quite a responsibility. This

:45:06. > :45:09.is also the moment where you may or may not get some direct Feed Back

:45:10. > :45:13.from the Queen either on the procession or when they get back to

:45:14. > :45:18.the palace? Huw, I think he will. The hard work and the training has

:45:19. > :45:21.paid off and he and all the Guardsmen should congratulate

:45:22. > :45:25.themselves on a job really done. High standards of drill. Excellent

:45:26. > :45:28.teamwork, concentration, physical stamina, they've all combined to

:45:29. > :45:32.give us a really first class performance and I think all Irish

:45:33. > :45:35.Guards men, past and present, will want to join with me in

:45:36. > :45:39.congratulating the Escort and the other guards on a job really well

:45:40. > :45:43.done. As you said, Her Majesty the Queen is the Colonel-In-Chief will

:45:44. > :45:46.have a view and Jonathan Palmer can expect to be thoroughly debriefed

:45:47. > :45:48.back at Palace, but having watched the parade, I don't think he has got

:45:49. > :45:57.anything to be worried about there. I mentioned the heat and I think it

:45:58. > :46:02.is worth saying something about it because it is not surprising that

:46:03. > :46:06.the intense heat as affected one or two people but it has not impaired

:46:07. > :46:09.the quality of the parade. Absolutely not and it's a testament

:46:10. > :46:12.to all the troops on parade that they have delivered an absolutely

:46:13. > :46:26.first-class performance despite some really challenging conditions.

:46:27. > :46:33.We are staying on air on BBC One to see the procession back to the

:46:34. > :46:37.Palace and to see the birthday bypassed by the Royal Air Force,

:46:38. > :46:40.which the Queen and members of the Royal family will enjoy from the

:46:41. > :46:47.famous balcony at Buckingham Palace and there will be thousands there to

:46:48. > :46:50.enjoy the bypassed. -- the fly past. The tradition of the Monica leading

:46:51. > :46:58.the guards back to Buckingham Palace was established by George V in 1914,

:46:59. > :47:03.just over a century ago. At that time, the parade had become so

:47:04. > :47:06.popular, it was decided they needed to provide an even more impressive

:47:07. > :47:08.experience for the thousands of spectators. It is no less popular

:47:09. > :47:26.today. The Senior Drum Major and colleagues

:47:27. > :47:30.leading the way with the Massed Bands, who have performed

:47:31. > :47:33.magnificently today, we were speaking to Scott Fitzgerald during

:47:34. > :47:40.the week and he was looking forward to this, his final parade and during

:47:41. > :47:44.the Queen's 65 years on the throne, the Armed Forces have been through a

:47:45. > :47:49.great deal of change but the participants in the Birthday Parade

:47:50. > :47:53.have remained remarkably constant, the five Regiment of Footguards and

:47:54. > :47:56.the two regiments of the Household Cavalry, who make up the Household

:47:57. > :48:05.Division, plus the horse-drawn guns of the King's Troop, Royal Horse

:48:06. > :48:09.Artillery. I love the Vista looking down the Mall towards Buckingham

:48:10. > :48:12.Palace, the grand ceremonial route designed by Sir Aston Webb in the

:48:13. > :48:18.early 20th century, so familiar to the Queen and the Royal family,

:48:19. > :48:22.which has featured for every great event of her reign, and before that,

:48:23. > :48:27.this is where she travelled to her wedding in 1947, November, vast

:48:28. > :48:31.crowds there of course, and for other royal weddings in the decade

:48:32. > :48:36.that followed, and also a feature of more sombre occasions, such as her

:48:37. > :48:43.father's funeral in 1952, and her mother's funeral, in 2002. A word

:48:44. > :48:49.about the street line is because they perform such a valuable

:48:50. > :48:51.function, 12 officers, 220 men from the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards

:48:52. > :48:56.lining the processional route from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards,

:48:57. > :48:59.commanded by Lieutenant Colonel James Thurstan who was the field

:49:00. > :49:03.officer at the parade last year and Chris, there is a danger sometimes

:49:04. > :49:07.to maybe overlook the street liners because what is going on an Horse

:49:08. > :49:12.Guards Parade but it is very important to underline what they do.

:49:13. > :49:16.Absolutely, they play a fundamental role in the parade, formed from the

:49:17. > :49:18.1st Battalion Coldstream Guards today, providing spectacle and

:49:19. > :49:21.Colour back along the Mall and it will be an important moment for them

:49:22. > :49:26.as the Queen and Royal procession pass them on their way back up to

:49:27. > :49:30.Buckingham Palace. We mention that the Welsh Guards, for example, today

:49:31. > :49:34.represented by Kevin Roberts and some of the musicians in the band.

:49:35. > :49:42.It is important for us to recognise who is not here today. Indeed, three

:49:43. > :49:44.battalions not represented, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, 1st

:49:45. > :49:47.Battalion Scots Guards and 1st Battalion Welsh Guards who are busy

:49:48. > :49:50.preparing for operational duty, as part of the UK's high readiness

:49:51. > :49:54.forces and they are likely to deploy in the next year to furnish the UK's

:49:55. > :49:58.enduring commitments in the Middle East and Afghanistan, so exciting

:49:59. > :50:02.and important work that they are engaged in at the moment. As we

:50:03. > :50:05.enjoy these images and we see the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh

:50:06. > :50:09.enjoying them, and the crowds and the sights and sounds of the music,

:50:10. > :50:12.a word about the Regimental Adjutant 's as well because we sometimes

:50:13. > :50:16.don't get a good look at them but there are six of them and I am just

:50:17. > :50:24.wondering, could you tell us a bit about them, and especially Colonel

:50:25. > :50:30.Timothy Purdon, in his last parade today. They ride at the rear of the

:50:31. > :50:34.procession and they are retired officers of the division who run the

:50:35. > :50:38.parts of the regiment outside the service battalions and I suppose

:50:39. > :50:40.they are a reflection of the back service in the Household Division as

:50:41. > :50:44.lifelong connections and they undertake some really important work

:50:45. > :50:49.with veterans and you are right to mention the Irish Guards Regimental

:50:50. > :50:53.Adjutant, Timothy Purdon, retiring this year after over 45 years

:50:54. > :50:57.service to the regiment and an important family connection carried

:50:58. > :51:03.on, his son James served with me in Afghanistan in 2010.

:51:04. > :51:14.The Royal Standard fluttering above Buckingham Palace and the Queen

:51:15. > :51:16.Victoria Memorial and we can see the progress of the troops and the

:51:17. > :51:19.Massed Bands and the Household Cavalry as they make their way back

:51:20. > :51:23.to Buckingham Palace and as we look forward to the events leading to the

:51:24. > :51:27.balcony appearance and the birthday fly past, I'm delighted once again

:51:28. > :51:31.to welcome to the commentary box the journalist, author, commentator

:51:32. > :51:38.Robert Hardman, who writes for the Daily Mail. Welcome, Robert. Thank

:51:39. > :51:42.you. Thoughts on today's parade, whether Queen clearly wanted to

:51:43. > :51:46.combine a sombre message, insisting on the minute's silence, combining

:51:47. > :51:52.that with of course I parade which is all about celebration. The

:51:53. > :51:55.monarchy stands for many things, of course, continuity, keeping calm and

:51:56. > :52:00.carrying on but at the same time, representing the nation to itself in

:52:01. > :52:05.times of both triumph and tragedy and I really think we have seen that

:52:06. > :52:09.very clearly today. Let's also remember today is the nearest we

:52:10. > :52:14.have Tuwai United Kingdom national Day, the Queen is very conscious of

:52:15. > :52:19.that, in British embassies, high commissions and communities all over

:52:20. > :52:22.the world, today is the day for putting out the flags. France may

:52:23. > :52:27.have bastille Day and the Americans may have died the fourth but for the

:52:28. > :52:32.British around the world, it is the Queen's birthday and that is why it

:52:33. > :52:35.matters in so many other ways. The tone of the method earlier today,

:52:36. > :52:40.Robert, really was in keeping with the kind of tone set by the Queen

:52:41. > :52:46.and the Duke of Cambridge when they visited West London yesterday. Yes,

:52:47. > :52:51.I was there at the Westway Centre in Kensington yesterday. It was

:52:52. > :52:54.abundantly clear what the presence of the Queen and the Duke of

:52:55. > :52:58.Cambridge meant to the entire community. It is sometimes thought

:52:59. > :53:02.that perhaps monarchy is governed by rigid protocol and doing things by

:53:03. > :53:06.the book but as we have seen in recent weeks, the Queen has been

:53:07. > :53:11.very quick to adapt and reflect what people are thinking and feeling and

:53:12. > :53:15.at the same time, she was there yesterday, the Prince of Wales was

:53:16. > :53:19.holding an investiture at Buckingham Palace and he also paused for a

:53:20. > :53:25.minute's silence while he was doing that. We have seen time and again,

:53:26. > :53:30.these moments, monarchy is about being there during the highs and

:53:31. > :53:34.lows. We have also seen, as we look at the progress down the Mall, and

:53:35. > :53:39.it is a great site, with the greenery St James Park and Green

:53:40. > :53:41.Park to the left, leading up to Piccadilly, we can see the

:53:42. > :53:46.sovereign's procession is almost back at the point where the gates

:53:47. > :53:50.and the carriage gates of Buckingham Palace open before us but a thought

:53:51. > :53:54.about the busyness of the Royal timetable and the fact that the

:53:55. > :53:59.timetable has had to be adjusted quite considerably for some very big

:54:00. > :54:02.events. Yes, next week, we were expecting the State Opening of

:54:03. > :54:07.Parliament on Monday which has now moved to Wednesday. The Queen has

:54:08. > :54:11.now rewritten the diary twice for next week, the Order of the Garter,

:54:12. > :54:16.the oldest order of chivalry, always meet on the Monday after this event

:54:17. > :54:19.but that was cancelled because of the State opening and we have got a

:54:20. > :54:24.state visit coming up very shortly from the King of Spain, which will

:54:25. > :54:27.bring all of the Royal household and the different components together

:54:28. > :54:31.for that so the Queen has got a full week of events up in Scotland at

:54:32. > :54:34.Holyrood House as well. These are all very important parts of the

:54:35. > :54:41.calendar and at the same time, as we have seen, she is changing the diary

:54:42. > :54:45.all the time. And at the same time, this week, you know, I was at a very

:54:46. > :54:49.touching ceremony in the East End of London on Thursday where the Queen

:54:50. > :54:54.and the Duke were there to mark the centenary of the first day like air

:54:55. > :54:58.raid on London in 1917, when a bomb dropped on a primary school, killing

:54:59. > :55:03.18 children. A very moving service, and then a trip to the school as it

:55:04. > :55:06.stands today, a remarkable school in Tower Hamlets. Once again, a day of

:55:07. > :55:37.very powerful, contrasting scenes. And you mentioned earlier, of

:55:38. > :55:42.course, that this is the Queen's 65th Birthday Parade, a record, in

:55:43. > :55:47.the Sapphire Jubilee year, another record. But as we see the Queen and

:55:48. > :55:51.the Duke of Edinburgh coming down the Mall, it is worth reflecting,

:55:52. > :55:56.these two really have rewritten the Royal record books in so many ways,

:55:57. > :56:02.our longest lived, longest reigning monarch but I think perhaps it is

:56:03. > :56:05.worth remembering the great upcoming landmark the Queen is perhaps

:56:06. > :56:11.looking forward to most in November when she will mark, with the Duke,

:56:12. > :56:14.the first ever Royal Platinum wedding anniversary. The Duke is not

:56:15. > :56:20.in uniform for the first time at this parade, Robert, he is, of

:56:21. > :56:22.course, Colonel of the Grenadier Guards and people will reflect

:56:23. > :56:27.today, as we see the Queen with the Duke at her side, as he always is,

:56:28. > :56:31.but from the autumn, his commitment will change considerably. Yes, he is

:56:32. > :56:36.announced he is going to scale back his engagements. He is still

:56:37. > :56:43.attached to some 780 organisations around the world. He is a very

:56:44. > :56:47.practical man. He is thinking about how to handle the batons but at the

:56:48. > :56:51.same time, we have been told he will still turn up at certain events and

:56:52. > :56:55.I think the way this has been announced is quite clever, it means

:56:56. > :56:58.there is no obligation on him to attend certain things, we don't have

:56:59. > :57:01.do expect him here and there and we don't have to worry when he is not

:57:02. > :57:04.at certain things but I think when the big events come up, looking

:57:05. > :57:08.ahead to things like the Spanish state visit and the possible state

:57:09. > :57:12.visit by President Trump, and next year, a huge Commonwealth summit, I

:57:13. > :57:17.think we can certainly expect to see him at the Queen's side for the big

:57:18. > :57:20.occasions. And your thoughts about the way the Royal family has managed

:57:21. > :57:23.to reshape, I suppose, the engagement and involvement of the

:57:24. > :57:27.younger royals over the last few years, but we are now really seeing

:57:28. > :57:36.it in great evidence? Yes, we are, the sense of what some people call

:57:37. > :57:39.Team wins, in a gentle, understated way, no big, headline replacements,

:57:40. > :57:44.but here and there, members of the Royal family, other members,

:57:45. > :57:47.representing the Queen. First and foremost, what they all do in

:57:48. > :57:50.addition to their own personal interests, their primary role is to

:57:51. > :57:55.support and represent the Queen and we are seeing that time and again,

:57:56. > :57:59.whether it is at an investiture, visiting overseas all day-to-day

:58:00. > :58:10.events around the country. It is pretty hard work, I imagine,

:58:11. > :58:16.marching and playing and contending with the heat but it is certainly

:58:17. > :58:21.not undermining the performance. The music is as rousing unspectacular as

:58:22. > :58:26.ever. The Queen and Duke are clearly enjoying it. -- as rousing and

:58:27. > :58:34.spectacular as ever. They are surveying the scene on this great

:58:35. > :58:37.day of the Birthday Parade. The Duke of Edinburgh, of course, the Colonel

:58:38. > :58:41.of the Grenadier Guards and he visited the barracks to present the

:58:42. > :58:45.Manchester Trophy at the annual intercompany football match a few

:58:46. > :58:50.months ago, still very devoted to the regiment. And not forgetting of

:58:51. > :58:54.course, just a few years ago, the Queen presented the Duke with the

:58:55. > :58:56.title and office of Lord high Admiral of the Navy to mark his 90th

:58:57. > :59:12.birthday. So, lots of members of the Royal

:59:13. > :59:16.family on the balcony, greeting Her Majesty and the Duke as they return

:59:17. > :59:23.home to Buckingham Palace. Prince Harry, there, and the Earl of

:59:24. > :59:26.Wessex, the Duke of York, the Duchess of Cornwall, just

:59:27. > :59:36.acknowledging some of the waves below. And very soon, we will have

:59:37. > :59:43.the Queen and the Duke appearing, too, on the balcony, ready for the

:59:44. > :59:47.RAF fly past. And we can see the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess

:59:48. > :59:50.of Cambridge, and imported birthday year for the Duchess of Cornwall,

:59:51. > :59:54.who will be 70 next month and is looking forward to a party with all

:59:55. > :00:00.her charities. Some younger ones on the balcony, Robert but are we

:00:01. > :00:04.expecting to see some more? It would be nice, wouldn't it? Princess

:00:05. > :00:08.Charlotte made her debut last year, and the Duchess of Cambridge is up

:00:09. > :00:15.there as well. Prince George may be in the background. Let's wait and

:00:16. > :00:19.see what emerges. We will see. We don't have long to wait, and very

:00:20. > :00:23.soon, thousands of spectators will have reached beyond the confines of

:00:24. > :00:26.Saint James 's part, they will be going right down towards Buckingham

:00:27. > :00:29.Palace and here on Horse Guards, I can tell you a huge crowd is making

:00:30. > :00:35.its way down towards the Palace, so all of the gardens, the Queen's

:00:36. > :00:38.Gardens, Canada Gate of the left, and on the right, Saint James' Park

:00:39. > :00:43.ahead of you, which has been one of the Royal Parks for many centuries,

:00:44. > :00:47.and at one point, even had a zoo and a menagerie but not these days. It

:00:48. > :00:48.is one of the nicest parks in London to spend a few hours in, especially

:00:49. > :01:01.on a day like this. So lots of people enjoying the

:01:02. > :01:07.atmosphere and Sonali is joined by Major Colonel Richards to talk to

:01:08. > :01:10.him about today's events. Richard, your role is to make sure

:01:11. > :01:13.that everyone's riding is up to scratch and also the horses, that

:01:14. > :01:18.includes them too. Were you pleased with what you have seen today? Yes,

:01:19. > :01:22.very pleased. The horses with the temperature as it was, they behaved

:01:23. > :01:26.themselves well and the guys rode really well as well. Yes, part of

:01:27. > :01:31.your role is to make sure they don't get spooked by the noise, the bands,

:01:32. > :01:35.the crowds here? Yeah, we do a lot of conditioning training towards

:01:36. > :01:39.that. We have the luxury of Hyde Park. We have got our own Mounted

:01:40. > :01:43.Bands and we can do a lot of that work as well. How tough will the

:01:44. > :01:48.heat have been on everyone out there on parade? The guys will certainly

:01:49. > :01:52.have felt it. As soon as you put this uniform on, you start to heat

:01:53. > :01:54.up and the temperature is about 27 Celsius today. They will have

:01:55. > :01:59.certainly been feeling it out there today. Do you think you can relax

:02:00. > :02:03.now? Once they're off and they're back at camp, then I will relax and

:02:04. > :02:06.every horse that we've got on the parade, once we know they are all

:02:07. > :02:10.back in and we will check them when they are back and make sure they are

:02:11. > :02:16.safe and sound and ready for the next parade. It really has been a

:02:17. > :02:20.wonderful day, the atmosphere and the crowds and everyone has been

:02:21. > :02:25.enjoying it? It has been amazing just having the numbers on the

:02:26. > :02:29.streets and the environment of Horse Guards Parade is just fantastic when

:02:30. > :02:33.you're in there and it's full. Richard, I'm glad you can relax

:02:34. > :02:42.soon, not just yet, but soon. Thank you. Sonali with just one of those

:02:43. > :02:49.playing an important part in today's parade.

:02:50. > :03:01.They prepare to change the guard in the fore court of Buckingham Palace.

:03:02. > :03:05.As we enjoy this sight, Chris, why don't you explain to us what's going

:03:06. > :03:09.on here and relate that to some of those who have been working hard in

:03:10. > :03:12.the parade. Well, Huw, not many people know that when the Escort get

:03:13. > :03:18.back to Buckingham Palace, the parade may have ended for a lot of

:03:19. > :03:22.people, but for them, they go on to conduct the normal Changing of the

:03:23. > :03:27.Guard. When we got to this point in 1996, we were tired, but we were

:03:28. > :03:30.determined to conduct a flawless Changing of the Guard. The people on

:03:31. > :03:33.the right-hand side of the screen will be expecting it, but this is

:03:34. > :03:38.where individual physical fitness comes in, it is a physically

:03:39. > :03:41.demanding task and the training will have prepared them for this, so

:03:42. > :03:46.there is no loss in performance despite the very hot temperatures.

:03:47. > :03:50.How long will they be on daout yu and maintaining this duty for now?

:03:51. > :03:56.The Guardsmen will have a one or two hour duty on top of having completed

:03:57. > :04:05.the Queen's Birthday Parade. So a pretty significant task for them. So

:04:06. > :04:09.just thinking about the men who are now confronted with a little more

:04:10. > :04:15.duty as I say, in the glorious sunshine. Horse Guards Parade,

:04:16. > :04:19.playing host to today's spectacular event, but Buckingham Palace right

:04:20. > :04:32.at the centre of events as the parade is concluded.

:04:33. > :04:40.So as the Changing of the Guard is completed, just a thought about

:04:41. > :04:44.others working less prominently, but still performing very important

:04:45. > :04:49.tasks because in the weeks leading up to the event, the team has been

:04:50. > :04:53.out behind the scenes getting the Royal Parks ready and they look

:04:54. > :04:58.fantastic. So what makes them look fantastic? What gets them to that

:04:59. > :05:03.standard? Let's look at some of those working behind the scenes.

:05:04. > :05:06.I'm Lucy and I run the gardening, well, horticulture team

:05:07. > :05:12.This is effectively the Queen's front garden.

:05:13. > :05:14.It is probably the busiest park in the world and we

:05:15. > :05:20.It's an early start for us on the morning

:05:21. > :05:25.We are all out at least by six o'clock in the morning, making sure

:05:26. > :05:30.The Mall has never been swept so many times as the day

:05:31. > :05:36.Probably what we don't know about putting flags up and taking

:05:37. > :05:40.We're here cleaning the Guards Memorial today,

:05:41. > :05:44.just making sure that it's all nice and clean and ready for the general

:05:45. > :05:48.public and for the Queen to come past.

:05:49. > :05:50.They are life-size statues of real Guardsmen from the Coldstream,

:05:51. > :06:00.We give it a cold wash down first and then we start

:06:01. > :06:02.applying a bronzing agent to the patina just to make

:06:03. > :06:05.sure it comes up nice and clean and keeps its colour.

:06:06. > :06:10.Today, they're planting a mixture of four foot,

:06:11. > :06:15.three foot and two foot geraniums, so about 22,000 plants altogether.

:06:16. > :06:18.I'll be here on the Friday double-checking everything

:06:19. > :06:21.is looking good, replacing anything that needs doing the day before.

:06:22. > :06:24.I've been known to watch the Trooping the Colour on TV,

:06:25. > :06:27.and especially when the Red Arrows fly over and you see these

:06:28. > :06:31.flowerbeds, I can see that they're up to standard.

:06:32. > :06:41.The police will shut the road for us and then we'll get the word

:06:42. > :06:45.I'll bring the lorries in, they'll start to remove

:06:46. > :06:47.the traffic lights, i.e., lifting the manholes up,

:06:48. > :06:50.unplugging all the electrics, straps round the traffic lights,

:06:51. > :06:53.they'll be pulled out of the ground, cover plates will be

:06:54. > :06:56.put in over the holes, then I'll come along

:06:57. > :07:02.They'll be removed and once that's all clear, so basically

:07:03. > :07:04.you will have a crystal clear view of

:07:05. > :07:07.the whole of the Mall, right from Admiralty Arch,

:07:08. > :07:10.All you'll see is the Union Jack flags and then

:07:11. > :07:15.I still have butterflies the night before.

:07:16. > :07:17.You know, you always think, what if there's a thunderstorm?

:07:18. > :07:25.And we could have 50,000 people easily on the Mall and in front

:07:26. > :07:32.I would like Her Majesty to think it is fit for a queen.

:07:33. > :07:36.I've been involved in flying flags for 18 years approximately,

:07:37. > :07:40.So near enough every day is different.

:07:41. > :07:41.It all comes with its stresses and strains

:07:42. > :07:51.For the Queen's Birthday Parade, there's 208 flags that are flown

:07:52. > :07:55.The flags are already prepacked, so when the lads take

:07:56. > :07:58.them up to the flagpole, they're all in the right order

:07:59. > :08:04.The art of hanging a flag is firstly to get it the right way up.

:08:05. > :08:07.So if you're looking at any of the flags in the background,

:08:08. > :08:11.you can see that broad white is out on the leading edge.

:08:12. > :08:14.On top of each of the flagpoles, there is a crown.

:08:15. > :08:16.The Crown is obviously put on the flagpole

:08:17. > :08:21.This morning, we've been working on the Mall,

:08:22. > :08:25.flying the flags that you can see, which is the 50 Union Flags,

:08:26. > :08:28.and from there, we moved on to Admiralty Arch,

:08:29. > :08:42.The buzz you get out of this job is seeing all the flags out.

:08:43. > :08:44.I don't think Her Majesty ever probably thinks who have

:08:45. > :08:48.actually put the flags up, but I'd like to think that she looks

:08:49. > :08:51.and admires them and, you know, is very proud to see all the flags

:08:52. > :08:56.when she's processing to Horse Guards.

:08:57. > :08:58.When members of the public talk to us, they're surprised

:08:59. > :09:03.Not so much the Queen's Guards and everyone else,

:09:04. > :09:05.it's the people around that are unseen.

:09:06. > :09:07.The work that goes on, the preparation that goes

:09:08. > :09:10.on for weeks and weeks, just for this one day.

:09:11. > :09:14.Although I've seen it 20 times before, it really

:09:15. > :09:32.What a lovely insight that was into all the work that goes on. Chris,

:09:33. > :09:36.I'm pleased we were able to draw attention to the fact that people

:09:37. > :09:40.are working for hours and hours before the parade gets under way,

:09:41. > :09:44.but for weeks before it starts? Absolutely Huw, having marched

:09:45. > :09:47.countless times through the Queen's Gardens, we are conscious of the

:09:48. > :09:52.enormous amount of hard work that goes on to make such a spectacular

:09:53. > :09:56.setting and I think it's appreciated by everybody. What fantastic work

:09:57. > :09:59.they do. The Queen's garden is looking splendid. All the hard work

:10:00. > :10:03.has paid off. Congratulations to everyone involved. We can see the

:10:04. > :10:09.threat throng of people being guided down slowly along the Mall. Very

:10:10. > :10:12.soon they will fill the entire space coming right down to the Queen

:10:13. > :10:20.Victoria Memorial for that fly-past in 20 minutes. 29 aircraft from the

:10:21. > :10:23.Royal Air Force are all ready to fly over the Palace with the Red Arrows

:10:24. > :10:28.to conclude the fly-past. It will be majestic and impressive and everyone

:10:29. > :10:33.is looking forward to that. I'd like to join Sonali who is with Mark,

:10:34. > :10:39.whose team has been working so hard in the Royal Parks. Let's join them.

:10:40. > :10:45.Mark is full of pride because as you touched on there, Huw, his gardens

:10:46. > :10:50.are looking absolutely splendid. What have you made of today? Any

:10:51. > :10:53.last minute hiccups for this prorning and with preparations? No

:10:54. > :10:57.real hiccups. The heat that they forecast today made us get up really

:10:58. > :11:00.early this morning and we were watering down the dust of Horse

:11:01. > :11:06.Guards Parade ground from 5am which is much earlier, but look at the

:11:07. > :11:11.people who are here and are enjoying it. It was great to see the level of

:11:12. > :11:15.detail that you have to go through weeks, months in advance, but even

:11:16. > :11:17.as simple as taking out the traffic lights, do you think all the

:11:18. > :11:21.thousands of people here think about those kind of things? I'm sure they

:11:22. > :11:25.don't, but when you see the wonderful procession that happened

:11:26. > :11:30.down the Mall, how on earth would we do it if we hadn't removed the road

:11:31. > :11:33.islands and traffic lights. So to us it is a common occurrence that we

:11:34. > :11:35.have to do for something of this nature and doesn't it make a

:11:36. > :11:39.difference to the spectacle of the event? We have been talking about

:11:40. > :11:42.preparation but you also have a sizeable clean-up operation, that

:11:43. > :11:49.already starts before the parade ends? Never has the Mall been swept

:11:50. > :11:52.so often as it is today! So we were out again in the early hours of this

:11:53. > :11:56.morning making sure the Mall was swept so it was fit for the parade,

:11:57. > :11:59.but even while Trooping the Colour was taking place on Horse Guards

:12:00. > :12:03.Parade ground we were out again with the road sweeper before we saw the

:12:04. > :12:07.horses come back. As we speak, I have another team. Once upon a time,

:12:08. > :12:12.we would have done it by a hand brush, but now we use mechanical

:12:13. > :12:16.sweepers, we will be sweeping late into the day, after the fly-past by

:12:17. > :12:20.the RAF and the balcony appearance we will be working late into the

:12:21. > :12:23.afternoon to get back to normal. Once you finish the clean-up

:12:24. > :12:27.operation, what's next for the Passion team? I think feet up

:12:28. > :12:30.tomorrow, but we have the State Opening of Parliament on Wednesday,

:12:31. > :12:35.not with the procession that we normally expect because of change of

:12:36. > :12:40.dates and then in July we look forward to a state visit by the king

:12:41. > :12:45.and queen of Spain so that again will see the Mall transformed. So

:12:46. > :12:50.not a huge amount of rest before you have to get the team together again?

:12:51. > :12:54.We have very defined, what we call ceremonial seasons in St James'

:12:55. > :12:57.Park, it does keep us very busy for a period of time. Mark, huge

:12:58. > :13:01.congratulations to you and the whole team that we saw in that film.

:13:02. > :13:06.Everything has been looking splendid today. Congratulations. Thank you

:13:07. > :13:11.very much. Yes, well done to Mark and his

:13:12. > :13:16.entire team. This is the scene in Green Park, another of the Royal

:13:17. > :13:22.Parks where the King's Troop is riding into provide that 41 gun

:13:23. > :13:28.salute as they do on the day of the birth dae parade. There will be a 21

:13:29. > :13:31.gun salute for the Queen's official birthday and an additional 20 gun

:13:32. > :13:41.salute because it is taking place in a royal park. Let's not forget, of

:13:42. > :13:49.course, there is a gun salute to mark the official birthday, there is

:13:50. > :13:57.a gun salute on 21st April to mark Her Majesty's actual birthday. And,

:13:58. > :14:02.a week ago, for the colonel's review, at the parade ground, there

:14:03. > :14:07.are two reviews before the actual Birthday Parade, for the colonel's

:14:08. > :14:11.review, there was a gun salute provided too for the 96th birthday

:14:12. > :14:24.of the Duke of Edinburgh. So they have been very busy. That is quite

:14:25. > :14:29.an impressive sight, isn't it? Robert, you do wander when you

:14:30. > :14:33.emerge from that Palace balcony to be greeted by that, it's quite

:14:34. > :14:37.breathtaking? Well, as the Queen said this is a nation that's

:14:38. > :14:42.resolute and there is an enormous resolute body of people coming down

:14:43. > :14:45.there. No one will be dissuaded from coming along today for this great

:14:46. > :14:49.event. The one event of the year when you see all the Royal Family

:14:50. > :14:52.lined up together. We heard about flags there, the wonderful Royal

:14:53. > :14:57.Parks flag team who put the Union Flags up and down the Mall who have

:14:58. > :15:01.got to take them down shortly and put up Spanish ones, but among that

:15:02. > :15:04.crowd, flags of every nation the it is worth remembering the Queen is

:15:05. > :15:10.head of state of 15 other nations. 15 other realms and for them, it's a

:15:11. > :15:15.big day too. It is a big year this. For Canada, for example, in a

:15:16. > :15:19.fortnight's time, Canada will be marking 150 years of confederation.

:15:20. > :15:26.The Royal Family all will be at the heart of that. The Queen doesn't do

:15:27. > :15:31.long haul travel. There is a Canadian. We didn't plan that! So,

:15:32. > :15:34.The Prince of Wales will go to Canada representing the Queen for

:15:35. > :15:42.the festivities there, but the Queen will play a very big part in all the

:15:43. > :15:45.events that happen here too. For example the Princess Royal riding a

:15:46. > :15:52.horse called Sir John, a Canadian horse. So at every level the little

:15:53. > :15:57.connections big and small and the whole world is here today.

:15:58. > :16:03.A very big police presence in Central London. We saw the dozens of

:16:04. > :16:07.police officers trying to control this vast crowd as it makes its way

:16:08. > :16:12.down towards Buckingham Palace. It is a good moment again to reflect on

:16:13. > :16:15.the work done by the Metropolitan Police in recent days in West

:16:16. > :16:19.London, during the tragedy at Grenfell Tower but of course, all

:16:20. > :16:24.the emergency services, the Ambulance Service and of course the

:16:25. > :16:28.Fire Brigade, along with the police, who have performed such remarkable

:16:29. > :16:31.work and shown such courage and dedication, not just in London after

:16:32. > :16:35.the events of recent weeks but of course in Manchester, too. I suppose

:16:36. > :16:39.that is all part, Chris, of the great epic that is made across the

:16:40. > :16:44.Armed Forces and emergency services at times of great national need.

:16:45. > :16:49.Absolutely. The Armed Forces stand ready in the nation's need, as we

:16:50. > :16:53.saw that with Operation Temperer, when the alert state was raised

:16:54. > :16:56.after recent attacks, so we consider ourselves to be at the nation's

:16:57. > :17:00.service which is expressed admirably today in Trooping the Colour, but in

:17:01. > :17:05.lots of other, countless smaller events throughout the year and when

:17:06. > :17:10.we are required. So the King's Troop is ready to fire the salute in Green

:17:11. > :17:13.Park. We can now talk to a member of the King Street about to fire the

:17:14. > :17:17.salute in honour of the Queen's Birthday. -- of the King's Troop.

:17:18. > :17:22.Your stories connected with the Queen's Birthday Parade because you

:17:23. > :17:26.decided to join the King's Troop after seeing a photo of them

:17:27. > :17:29.parading up Trooping the Colour. I did, I always wanted to join the

:17:30. > :17:33.army but did not have a clue what I wanted to do and then I saw pictures

:17:34. > :17:37.of the King's Troop on Trooping the Colour and I said I would be that

:17:38. > :17:40.I've been there ever since. This year marks 100 years since women

:17:41. > :17:47.were formally allowed into the British Armed Forces. What is your

:17:48. > :17:50.experience as a in the army like? No different to any other soldier, all

:17:51. > :17:54.we want is someone who could do the job and do it well and there does

:17:55. > :17:57.not need to be an issue. It does not matter if you are male or female,

:17:58. > :18:01.short or tall, as long as you can do the job. The King's Troop in

:18:02. > :18:05.particular have been pioneers in terms of the number of women. It has

:18:06. > :18:09.been fairly equal at times between the sexes. It has come a yeah, and

:18:10. > :18:16.we are getting more and more females all the time, it is nearly 50-50.

:18:17. > :18:20.Keep coming! Is that what you would say to anyone thinking about joining

:18:21. > :18:23.the army but a bit hesitant? It's a great life, it is hard work and you

:18:24. > :18:26.have to be dedicated because you need to look after live animals all

:18:27. > :18:31.the time but as long as you are willing to work, it is. Great You

:18:32. > :18:35.are normally parading a busy doing something else, getting ready for

:18:36. > :18:39.the gun salutes so what have you made the parade today? I have not

:18:40. > :18:43.seen much of it but I'm sure I will catch up with it, run over and watch

:18:44. > :18:47.the Royal Salute and see how it goes but as usual, it will be fine. We

:18:48. > :18:59.must not miss that so I will let you go. Thank you for joining us.

:19:00. > :19:05.So, those lucky people at the front end of the crowd, they are the ones

:19:06. > :19:08.who will get the railings of the Palace first of all and they will be

:19:09. > :19:14.able to see close up the reaction of the Royal family when the Birthday

:19:15. > :19:18.Parade happens. This is the moment, Robert, when we see the flow of

:19:19. > :19:23.people, when we realise there is an exceptional crowd here today. Yes,

:19:24. > :19:27.looking right back up the Mall, you know, this is tens of thousands, I

:19:28. > :19:33.could not put a figure on it but it is a reflection of what an important

:19:34. > :19:36.event this is, not just for the people of London, the people of

:19:37. > :19:39.Britain but for people all over the world. I have met people in that

:19:40. > :19:43.crowd over the issue have flown in from as far afield as Australia just

:19:44. > :19:48.to be here. It is the day you see all the Royal family, you see

:19:49. > :19:53.everything that so many people think of as being great about Great

:19:54. > :19:56.Britain. Do you think we can say with confidence today that this

:19:57. > :20:01.crowd, which is an exceptionally big one, it seems to me, is something to

:20:02. > :20:05.do with an expression of solidarity with London and other parts of the

:20:06. > :20:09.UK that have been, you know, experiencing very difficult times

:20:10. > :20:13.recently? I think that is absolutely right, I think it is interesting,

:20:14. > :20:21.feeling the tone of the crowd, I think it is reflected by the Queen's

:20:22. > :20:24.message which in recent years, there has perhaps been a bit more euphoria

:20:25. > :20:27.and a sense of jubilation but today, people are very much here, proud,

:20:28. > :20:30.they want to be you, to be together, to see the Queen, but not quite the

:20:31. > :20:34.same exuberance that we have seen in previous years and I think that is

:20:35. > :20:38.precisely appropriate and that is what the Queen wants. As she said,

:20:39. > :20:42.this is a very sombre moment but we are united in sadness and without

:20:43. > :20:46.fear or favour, we are going to get things right. There is that

:20:47. > :20:50.combination, clearly lots of people here who are British but lots of

:20:51. > :20:54.tourists as well, and they are delighted to be here, to be part of

:20:55. > :20:56.one of the most impressive parades, one of the most impressive

:20:57. > :21:04.ceremonial events anywhere in the world. Let's talk to one of them

:21:05. > :21:09.now. I'm with 16-year-old Madison from

:21:10. > :21:12.Philadelphia, USA. What brought you today? We are here on a family

:21:13. > :21:16.vacation and we thought we were coming to see the changing of the

:21:17. > :21:20.guard and we got here and there were so many people, and I asked if this

:21:21. > :21:23.happens every day but then we asked wannabe police officers and they

:21:24. > :21:27.said, this is so special and the Royal family will come out, and I

:21:28. > :21:31.said, I don't care what we're doing the rest of the day, we have to see

:21:32. > :21:36.this. I love the fact you stumbled upon one of Britain's biggest

:21:37. > :21:39.parade! Yeah, I'm surprised, with everything, I never even knew about

:21:40. > :21:44.this, with all I know about the Royals. I'm glad you did and I hope

:21:45. > :21:49.you enjoy it. We can state officially this does

:21:50. > :21:55.not happen everyday! Just imagine if they advertised it! The King's

:21:56. > :22:01.Troop, ready to fire the first of the gun salute in Green Park. Six

:22:02. > :22:17.guns, formed up in a line abreast in the royal Parks.

:22:18. > :23:45.The gun salute echoing all over central London, telling the world,

:23:46. > :23:49.really, that the Birthday Parade has taken place and this is the day of

:23:50. > :23:52.the Queen's official birthday, and of course, as we saw earlier, the

:23:53. > :23:57.Queen accompanied once again by the Duke of Edinburgh, who has

:23:58. > :24:01.maintained his own close personal relationship with the service men

:24:02. > :24:05.and women. In 1953, the Duke was appointed Admiral of the feet, Field

:24:06. > :24:09.Marshal, Marshal of the Royal Air Force but as we were discussing, he

:24:10. > :24:24.is stepping down from lots of public and royal duties later this year.

:24:25. > :24:30.Like all of us who served in the Navy during the war, I lost many

:24:31. > :24:38.friends and shipmates who are commemorated here.

:24:39. > :24:44.His first salute is for the ship and it is her captain at Prince Philip

:24:45. > :24:48.now greets. Lieutenant Colonel R De Harper is now the guest and Prince

:24:49. > :25:09.Philip command says ship. -- Lieutenant Harper is now the guest.

:25:10. > :25:14.One of the great thing is that the services can do is they can take

:25:15. > :26:03.ordinary people and turn them into extraordinary people.

:26:04. > :26:07.And the crowd very soon we'll see the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen

:26:08. > :26:11.and all the other members of the Royal family, the principal members,

:26:12. > :26:16.on the famous balcony at Buckingham Palace and it is a moment as well,

:26:17. > :26:23.Robert, or the family to show itself in all its generations. Very true,

:26:24. > :26:26.and as the film showed, the great contribution of the Duke to today's

:26:27. > :26:30.monarchy, I think everyone will be very conscious of the fact that we

:26:31. > :26:35.are here, that the monarchy is in such a strong and happy place at

:26:36. > :26:43.present. So much of that is down to the role the Duke has played over

:26:44. > :26:46.the years. He is always at the Queens side. I think for many

:26:47. > :26:51.people, that will be the abiding memory of today, the two of them in

:26:52. > :26:54.the carriage together. We have talked a lot about the relationship,

:26:55. > :26:58.for example, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Grenadier Guards. It is

:26:59. > :27:01.worth reflecting again on the very close bond that has built up in six

:27:02. > :27:06.years between the Duke of Cambridge of the Irish Guards. Absolutely, he

:27:07. > :27:10.is the kernel, he became the kernel in 2011 when we were in Afghanistan

:27:11. > :27:13.and that was a huge morale boost and on our return, he and the Duchess

:27:14. > :27:17.came to Windsor and presented us with our campaign medals and they

:27:18. > :27:20.presented Elizabeth crosses to the families of those who had been

:27:21. > :27:23.killed. He and the Duchess were absolutely brilliant and it really

:27:24. > :27:24.sealed their relationship with the regiment. They are part of the

:27:25. > :27:34.family. We are scanning the skies above

:27:35. > :27:39.central London because we want a bit of warning that the fly past is

:27:40. > :27:43.coming. While we wait for it, I don't think it is far-away, it is

:27:44. > :27:50.going to be with us in a couple of minutes. Some 29 aircraft. We are

:27:51. > :27:56.expecting eight elements to the bypassed. No one will enjoy it more

:27:57. > :27:58.than the Queen. She loves the birthday fly past which is why they

:27:59. > :28:05.are emerging on the balcony ready for it to take place. The Queen and

:28:06. > :28:15.the Duke leading the way. Cameras at the ready. And there are,

:28:16. > :28:17.we can see Princess Charlotte for the second year running making an

:28:18. > :28:21.appearance on the balcony and Prince George with them, who turns four

:28:22. > :28:26.next month, will start going to school in the autumn. For many of

:28:27. > :28:30.the people down there, I think that is a particularly memorable start.

:28:31. > :28:36.You can see him thinking, "I have been here before, I have seen this!"

:28:37. > :28:41.But a very happy scene. The Princess with a touch more curiosity. The

:28:42. > :28:45.Duke of Edinburgh, trying to generate some enthusiasm. For the

:28:46. > :28:53.Queen, an interesting point, we can see the guards' Roach, particularly

:28:54. > :28:57.important piece of jewellery on a day like today. They are in place

:28:58. > :29:05.and the fly past is about to happen because the first element is a

:29:06. > :29:12.Chinook and two Puma helicopters from RAF Benson. This is the first

:29:13. > :29:15.element. The Chinook, of course, with its distinctive twin rotors,

:29:16. > :29:22.can often be seen in the skies above London, the RAF uses it above London

:29:23. > :29:25.to train it screws in how to operate in complex environments so it is a

:29:26. > :29:32.very important piece of equipment for the royal air force. -- train

:29:33. > :29:36.its crews. A bit more excitement now the fly past is about to happen, he

:29:37. > :29:44.did not realise there would be something to look at. Of course, the

:29:45. > :29:48.Duke of Cambridge's career as an air ambulance pilot means he might be

:29:49. > :30:02.explaining it to Prince George. So we have the Chinook and the Puma.

:30:03. > :30:07.The captain of the Chinook, Squadron leader Jack Kyle and politely turned

:30:08. > :30:18.Gary McCabe for the Puma. Waving to the aircrew from the palace balcony.

:30:19. > :30:25.We are expecting a Hawker Hurricane and two Spitfires. These are from

:30:26. > :30:31.the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. 2017 is a very special year

:30:32. > :30:38.for the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. Celebrating their 60th

:30:39. > :30:57.anniversary. A round of applause for the Hurricane and Spitfires.

:30:58. > :31:18.And the Hurricane piloted by Andy. The third element, we have the

:31:19. > :31:23.Shadow and two King aircraft. Intelligence, surveillance, target,

:31:24. > :31:30.reconnaissance aircraft. That's the purpose of the Shadow R1. That's

:31:31. > :31:41.making quite an impression. It's quite a presence in the sky. It has

:31:42. > :31:46.to be said. The Hawk element is the C-17 Globemaster, three from RAF

:31:47. > :31:51.Brize Norton and we have a BAe 146 from RAF north folt. The C-17

:31:52. > :32:08.transporting huge amounts of freight and can do so over 4500 feet.

:32:09. > :32:24.The fifth element is the A4100 M atlas from RAF Brize Norton and we

:32:25. > :32:44.have the C 130 Hercules from RAF Brize Norton. As important heavy

:32:45. > :32:49.lift aircraft. We have fo Typhoons. Here comes the seventh element, the

:32:50. > :32:54.Voyager from RAF Brize Norton, the RAF's largest aircraft. This really

:32:55. > :33:09.does pass with a thundering boom across the skies. It is used for air

:33:10. > :33:20.to air refuelling and the two Tornadoes.

:33:21. > :33:42.We are waiting for the climax, the great display by the Red Arrows.

:33:43. > :33:48.Fantastic, patriotic sight of red, white and blue against that dazzling

:33:49. > :33:55.blue sky over Central London today. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE the Red Arrows

:33:56. > :34:03.in their 53rd season. A fitting end to the fly-past for this Queen's

:34:04. > :34:06.Birthday Parade. The Queen just surveying the scene.

:34:07. > :35:00.Enjoyed the fly-past. So the Queen and three generations

:35:01. > :35:05.of the Royal Family make their way back into Buckingham Palace. The

:35:06. > :35:09.Birthday Parade of 2017, the Queen's 91st year is at an end. Another

:35:10. > :35:10.superb display by everyone on