2017 Trooping the Colour

Everything is set for one of the great state events of the season and

for the first time in eight years it is the turn of the Irish Guards to

troop their colour. They will be inspired by the sound of the pipes

and the drums and by the sight of the regimental mascot, done done.

All set then for the music and the majesty of the Queen's Birthday

Parade. On this day of celebration, Her

Majesty is mindful of the tragic recent events in London and

Manchester has issued the following statement today:

This year, however, it is difficult to escape a very'

In recent months, the country has witnessed a succession

As a nation, we continue to reflect and pray for all those who have been

During recent visits in Manchester and London,

I have been profoundly struck by the immediate inclination

of people throughout the country to offer comfort and support

Put to the test, the United Kingdom has been resolute in

United in our sadness, we are equally determined,

without fear or favour, to support all those

rebuilding lives so horribly affected by injury and loss".

That was the statement issued by Buckingham Palace on the morning of

her official Birthday Parade and the Queen will be leading a national one

minute's silence at 10.45am before the parade gets under way. Well,

that parade will begin shortly at horse guards. Bathed in sunshine

today for the ceremony of Trooping the Colour, a tradition that spans

more than two centuries. This year's escort provided by the 1st Battalion

Irish Guards. It is a great honour for them. They have been working so

hard in preparation for this parade. The crowds, thousands of people, in

the stands around horse guards, many of them relatives and friends of

those taking part and there is a very strong Irish presence among

them. There is live coverage of the events on BBC One. There is unedited

continuous coverage on the Red Button. The regimental mascot making

his way towards the horse guards building. We are looking forward to

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

Cavalry as they complete their work. For some of the horses it has been a

4.30am start. There are two regiments the Blues and Royals and

the Life Guards. This year it is the turn of the Life Guards to take the

lead. What happened this morning is they made sure they came down to

check the horses, any that were nervous, a little bit fizzy, they

went out for an early ride and then it was back here, for all the

grooming. Last minute preparations. We've lot liming going on to make

sure the hooves are dry. And bandaging up the tail to make it

look pristine. Some of the horses are very much ready. There is no

over exuberance here which bodes well for the parade. More from

Sonali later. We're joined by a special guest with first hand

experience of taking part in the Birthday Parade, Brigadier

Christopher. Good morning to you. Good morning. We found this reminder

of your day back on parade in 1996. While we admire this and think of

all the style that you showed on the day, what are your thoughts looking

ahead to this morning's parade? Well, Huw, seeing the footage from

1996 brings all the memories back and I can clearly remember our

feelings of pride and excitement which I know everybody on parade

will be feeling today, like all Irish Guards men I'm looking forward

to something special on horse guards today. 21 years ago we put in a

considerable amount of work for our day and I'm sure today's Irish

Guards men will have done the same. We're looking forward to it. The

troops on tread today have had relatively little time to prepare.

We caught up with the guardsmen at the Army Training Centre in

Pirbright - where they rehearse in all weathers to

Today, we're here in Pirbright, which is where we do quite

We spend a lot of time on this square behind me.

My advice to any guards when they're struggling on the day

Keeping that many people in a straight line is quite hard.

Giving a glance out of your left eye to make sure you're in line

The main reason we are one of the, if not the, best

army in the world is because of our discipline

There's no better way to display that discipline

You get a cautionary word of command and an executionary word of command.

The cautionary word is telling the soldiers

that they're about to act, so it would be a long drawn out

And then your executionary word will be short, sharp word.

After the tragic events in Manchester, we paused

the preparations for the Queen's birthday parade and many

of the troops who will be on parade found themselves standing

shoulder-to-shoulder with a policeman in Windsor

and London, guarding locations as a result of the threat level

The Major General commanding the household division was rightly

full of praise for the boys, not only for what they did,

but how quickly they've readjusted to make sure that we can deliver,

not just our operational commitments, but also

keep delivering on the Queen's birthday parade.

Be agressive and be disciplined in everything you do.

You're there, when you see the crowd, you know your family

are there in the stands to support you and obviously Her Majesty is

She's there to celebrate her birthday, which is a real honour.

Well, thankfully there is no need to worry about the rain, but the Irish

Guards will have to deal with serious heat in London today and

their Commanding Officer Jonathan Palmer is here with his horse

Wellingtonment you are in charge of giving the crucial words of commands

to the Footguards. Any nerves? Mostly nerves. I want to get it

right for the boys whose parade it is. I'm very much looking forward to

you riding. You only started riding six months ago. You haven't had long

with Wellington, are you getting on OK? I'm indebted to the Household

Cavalry Regiment whose instructors have been very patient with me. The

best of luck. Thank you. And these are the guards that he

will be commanding on parade today. The support company of the 1st

Battalion Irish Guards providing the Escort. They are the stars of the

parade in many ways, led by Major Charlie Mulira. They are providing

men for number two guard and number three guard. The Irish Guards were

the fourth regiment of Footguards to be founded which explains why the

buttons are arranged in groups of four and there is the green plume of

St Patrick. Number six guard, found by the Coldstream Guards who Trooped

their Colour successfully last year. The Coldstream Guards are providing

the street liners for this year. Next, we have number five guard.

Found by F Company Scots Guards, that's an independent company

created in 1994. And number 4 guard, found by Njimegen Company Grenadier

Guards created in 1994 to carry the colours of the second suspended

battalion. The Welsh Guards are represented by the musicians. Many

of them led by the Senior Director of Music Lieutenant Colonel Roberts.

Norman Hunter is taking part in his 24th Birthday Parade.

And as the Senior Director of Music will confirm -

a great deal of thought goes into the music that

is performed every year - more than 30 pieces of

music - chosen after a careful process - a rather

obscure process - but this year we've been

allowed a glimpse of how it all comes together.

Music for the Queen's Birthday Parade is incredibly

important, because if the guardsmen have a real strong

beat as they go round, then it's quite uplifting for them.

Today has been the selection process for choosing the music

I think it's very important to reflect the Irish

element of the parade, because trooping our own colour

doesn't come around very often, so it's very important to get it

The key Irish tunes in there are great to have.

I've sung all of these songs to my children and I know

that all of the Irishman who are marching, it will mean

a great deal to them to hear this and it will really resonate

with people watching, to the extent that I would say that

people would be quite surprised/ delighted to hear them played

A piece I've composed especially for this parade is called Messines

Ridge and, almost to the day, commemorating 100 years

MUSIC: "Messines Ridge" by Maj Bruce Miller.

There were representatives from both north and south

If Her Majesty was tapping her foot to my music on the day,

it would be a wonderful feeling and a great send off in my

You're going to get a huge uplift there, it'll be

And a lot going on all the way through.

So, yeah, we'll go for Messines Ridge.

Rather fascinating insight into the selection of music of for the

Birthday Parade. We are looking forward to hearing Messines Ridge

later. The Colour party is in place.

Protecting the Colour which was presented to the 1st Battalion Irish

Guards by Her Majesty in 2009. The regiment's 21 Battle Honours

featured on the colour, the most recent being Iraq in 2003. What an

honour, the honour of protecting the colour goes to two colour centuries

Guardsmen Anthony Coates on the right and Jacob Todd on the left.

It's a great day for them and Colour Sergeant Vince Hockley. This is his

first Birthday Parade despite the fact he has put in 18 years of

service and I have to say something of a miracle that Vince is with us

today because he suffered terrible injuries in Afghanistan back in 2010

when he and four others came under attack and Chris, you know Vince

Hockley. You indeed know the circumstances of what happened on

that dreadful day. Well, indeed, Huw it is a great moment for Colour

Sergeant Vince Hockley and his presence here is remarkable. I was

his Commanding Officer in Afghanistan and I was there when he

was taken off the medical evacuation helicopter and seeing him then when

I saw him, it was questionable whether he would live. But he's here

today, it is testament to his resolve and the skill and the care

of the medical staff and I also like to remember Guardsmen Christopher

Davis and major Matt Collins and Sergeant Mark who were killed on

that tour of Afghanistan. Indeed. Lots of reflection on the parade

ground today because as I said, here on horse guards, we are standing by

in a few minutes time for the minute's silence. This is the

silence that will be led by Her Majesty the Queen at Buckingham

Palace. A great sight along the Mall which

is decked in Union Flags for this Birthday Parade and the Royal

Standard, prominently flying above Buckingham Palace. Following the

recent loss of life at the Grenfell Tower in North Kensington West

London and the loss of life in those dreadful tower attacks in London and

Manchester. The Queen has issued the statement today to say that what is

traditionally a day of celebration, is clearly also a day where we must

reflect the sombre mood of the nation in Her Majesty's words. So

the decision was taken by Her Majesty to lead a one minute's

silence before the Birthday Parade gets under way.

The scene at Buckingham Palace, Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh

standing in silence for a minute before the first departures in the

Queen's Birthday Parade of 2017. The Household Cavalry providing the

Sovereign's Escort, standing by for the Queen to leave for the parade

but before that, other members of the Royal family will make the

journey along the mouth to horse guards. -- along the Mall.

The first carriage procession is on its way. It will include the Duchess

of Cambridge, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry...

The Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry and the Duchess of Cambridge

in the first carriage, emerging from the Palace on a sunny but rather

sombre morning, following that national silence led by the Queen.

And then we have in the second carriage, the Duke of York and the

Earl of Wessex and the Duke of York's daughters. The crowds

acknowledging the first carriage and the second as it passes, and in the

following carriage, we have the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the

Duke of Kent. The Duke of Gloucester, cousin to

the Queen, the Duke of Kent, of course, a cousin to both the Queen

and the Duke of Edinburgh. So this procession is slightly later than

usual because of the minute's silent but making its way along the Mall in

glorious sunshine with big crowds already gathered and later, there

will be even greater crowds back at the Palace following the parade for

the appearance on the balcony of the entire Royal family, and a very

impressive fly past, the birthday fly-past by the Royal Air Force,

featuring some 29 aircraft. That is all to come.

The Duchess of Cornwall, in the first carriage, earlier this month,

a few days after the attack on London bridge, was with the Prince

of Wales at the Royal London Hospital, visiting members of the

public there who were injured in the London bridge attack. And last week,

the Duchess of Cambridge watched the Colonel's Review Wendy Duke of

Cambridge oversaw the parade as Colonel of the Irish Guards. -- when

the Duke of Cambridge. The Royal Salute is founded by the

Field officer's Trumpeter Of The Sovereign's Escort, Drew the Joe

Gregg of the lifeguards. This year, the Queen celebrated her 91st

birthday in April and is attending her 65th Birthday Parade as

sovereign, a record unmatched by a British monarch. 2017 also marks the

first-ever sapphire jubilee for a British monarch, passing the

remarkable milestone of 65 years on the throne. At Her Majesty's side

once again this year, the Duke of Edinburgh, who celebrated his 96th

birthday last Saturday. The Royal household and out last month that

the Duke would not be undertaking public engagements from the autumn,

stepping back from lots of his commitment that he had over the

years but he is here today in his capacity as Colonel of the Grenadier

Guards, but for the first time at parade, he is not in his Colonel's

uniform. -- at the parade. Followed in the procession by the

Royal Colonels, the Princess Royal on the left, there, who is the

Colonel of the Blues and Royals, a position she has held since 1998 and

then the Duke of Cambridge in his seventh year riding as Colonel of

the Irish Guards and the Prince of Wales, riding as Colonel of the

Welsh Guards, a role he has undertaken for the past 42 years.

The Prince of Wales succeeded his father on St David's Day 1975 as

Colonel of the Welsh Guards. The Duke of Edinburgh had been Colonel

of the Welsh Guards since 1953 up until Mike Dean 75. And then the

Duke of Cambridge, a very special year for him because it is his

regiment who will be Trooping the Colour today.

The first section of carriages arriving at Horse Guards Parade,

just passing the youth enclosure on the left, with hundreds of members

of the girl guides and the Brownies and the Boys' Brigade greeting the

carriages as they pass. And we can see that the guards' formation has

changed because number three guard has opened to make way for the first

royal guests, as the band prepares to play the national anthem to Greek

them. And then the royal party will have the best view in the house,

really, watching the parade from the Major General's office overlooking

Horse Guards, the office once used by the Duke of Wellington.

Prince Harry saluting the Colour. An St Patrick's Day, 17th of March, the

Duchess of Cambridge was presenting sprigs of shamrock to the Irish

Guards during the annual St Patrick's Day parade will stop the

presence of the Dutch as this year at the ceremony is upholding a

tradition that has been maintained by a female member of the Royal

family since it was started by Queen Alexandra in 1901. For decades, it

was maintained by the late Queen Mother, of course, who first

attended the shamrock ceremony in 1928 but this was the scene on March

the 17th this year. Lovely images, Chris, and again, underlining forest

the absolute importance of tradition for the Irish Guards. Quite right,

St Patrick's Day is a very special day for all Irish Guards men, in a

family regiment, it is our family gathering, a time to meet up and

catch up with old friends. Since 2012, the shamrock has been

presented by the Duchess of Cambridge. It is a relationship we

value particularly highly because she's a part our family.

A great site on the Mall and the Brigade Major, David Hannah of the

Irish Guards, followed by four troopers of the lifeguards, leading

the sovereign's procession, the top finishers of the Princess Elizabeth

Cup, the annual regimental competition, so they have earned

their place is here today in such a prominent role. And the Brigade

Major, riding Bastian today, is the one responsible for the precise

timing of today's procession. Then of course, the great site of the

mountain bands of the Household Cavalry -- the great sight of the

mounted band of the Household Cavalry. The great Drum Horses

making their way along to Horse Guards Parade. The mounted band is

directed by Captain James Marshall of the Blues and Royals, the

assistant Director of Music. The first and second divisions of the

Sovereign's Escort provided this year by the lifeguards, unmistakable

in their dazzling red tunics with white plumes, the senior regiment in

the British Army, raised in 1658 by the exiled king, Charles II. The

field officer of the Escort, Major James Harbour ward, it is his last

Birthday Parade today as he retires from the Army in December. -- Major

James Harbord. And then the third and fourth divisions of the

Sovereign's Escort provided by the Blues and Royals in their dark blue

tunics and red blooms. The state helmets designed by Prince Albert in

1842. The tradition we see today of inviting the Household Cavalry to

escort the sovereign to the parade was introduced, I suppose relatively

recently, if you look at the great arc of history, in 1937 by King

George VI. The Duke of Edinburgh has enjoyed a very long connection with

the Birthday Parade. He always enjoys attending. Today's events, of

course, a celebration of Her Majesty's official birthday, the

tradition established by Edward VII because his actual birthday fell in

November so he chose June is a much more promising month in which to

hold a Birthday Parade and today proves that he was right. The

weather is indeed glorious. The Royal Colonels, following the

procession behind the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, along this great

processional route which was designed by Sir Aston Webb more than

a century ago. It was in 1947 that Princess

Elizabeth, and she then was, took part in her first parade as Colonel

of the Grenadier Guards. In 1951, when the king was ill, she took his

place on Horse Guards. A year later, riding a horse called Winston, she

took part as Queen. She has been here every year since then with the

exception of 1955 when there was a rail strike, and every year, it is a

remarkable spectacle. The Mounted Bands are now on the

approach road, passing the youth enclosure. They will burst into

applause -- applause when they catch sight of the Queen and the Duke. 150

members of the girl guides, the Girls' Brigade, the Brownies, the

Rainbows, some 90 members of the Boys' Brigade, and some Boy Scout as

well. -- Boy Scouts as well. All the flags of the Commonwealth

are being flown today in order of joining that organisation. Just

underlining again the Queen's very strong belief in the value of the

Commonwealth with its values and its ambition of friendship and

collaboration. The Queen's coach man this year is Philip Barnard Brown

from Melbourne. Philip has been at the Royal Mews for 16 years and we

believe he is the first Australian to achieve the position of the

coachman to the Queen. Among those watching in the stands

are 11 Chelsea Pensioners, they are led by Colonel Mark Baker. They are

looking very smart in their coats and tricorne hats. The Queen's

carriage is crossing on to the parade ground. The head coachman

will salute the Colour with his whip. And the Queen's Birthday

Parade of 2017 is about to begin. The Royal Standard will be released.

The Field Officer will give his command and then the National Anthem

will be played. Shoulder arms.

The Queen's first task is to inspect the line of guards. It is an

opportunity for the Massed Bands to entertain. Music for the slow

inspection has been arranged for today's parade by the Irish cards

current Director of Music Major Bruce Miller.

The music changes to feature Sweet Dublin Bay. The Queen is

Colonel-In-Chief of all the regiments on parade today. Their

motto The Standard Bearer is Corporal Major Daniel Sentance who

returned to ceremonial duties last year after three tours in

Afghanistan. The procession continues

past the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery -

commanded by Major Jim Luck - whose members will be

making a grand entrance later on - their lead gun

is in The officer in charge

of the entire Household Division - and general

officer commanding London District -

is Major-General Ben Bathurst - who commanded this

parade a few years ago. He shared his thoughts

on his new role. Well, it's a huge privilege

as the Major-General commanding the Household Division and I think

particularly given this year, only so recently we've been

conducting Operation Temperer, so all the soldiers you will

see going past were, just a couple of weeks ago,

assisting the police I'll think of all the men

and women on parade, how they do their jobs,

whatever they are asked to do, so professionally,

so successfully. So it's a first parade

for Major-General Bathurst - but it's a final Birthday Parade

as senior director of music for Lt Col Kevin

Roberts of the Welsh Guards after three

very successful years. It's important we get the music

right so it reflects the various elements and it lifts people where

it needs to. I need to keep an element in my mind focus odden the

words of command and the music. I'm hoping that I can rely on my

experience to really enjoy and savour this, my last parade.

Kevin Roberts sharing his thoughts with us and Ben Bathurst too. A

quick word on the challenge facing Ben today. Well, Huw, a hugely

important day for him. A hugely experienced operational soldier. And

he will be applying the standards of operations to today, but quite a

moment for him. A big moment now for the Massed Bands getting the parade

proper under way as they prepare to perform one of the real highlights

of the parade for over a century. Massed Bands by the centre. Slow

march. With that raised trombone, the band

will get ready for that quick march in a moment.

MUSIC: "Les Huguenots" - Meyerbeer arr Godfrey.

Massed Bands, by the centre, quick march!

The familiar figure of Major Scott Fitzgerald in his final Birthday

Parade ordering Messines Ridge composed by David Millar.

MUSIC: "Messines Ridge" - Miller. The lone drummer breaks away. He is

from Ballymoney in Northern Ireland. He is acknowledged to be the best

drummer in the regiment. He is getting ready for the next phase of

the parade. The drama playing eight bars of a

field signal calling the Drummer's Call, recalling an age when field

signals were made using drums. Remainder, change

arms, stand at ease. The orderly, Guardsman Rainey, who

is from Birmingham, marching two years ago, comes forward to take the

paste it from Regimental Sergeant Major Daniel Hinton who can then

draw his sword ready to protect the Colour in the next phase of the

parade. Escort for the Colour,

by the left, quick march. The Escort stepping off very smartly

to Do Much Of The British Grenadiers, a good opportunity for

the men to stretch their legs and show their style and flair after

weeks of hard work. It is a great moment. Big moment for the Escort,

are really proud moment, they have spent hours preparing for this.

Drawn from the Support Company, the more experienced soldiers in the

battalion, highly unusual for them to provide the Escort and they won

the privilege in a drill completion and today is their reward and when

you talk to the men in the Escort, thinking back to the idea it is a

unique honour and although you may do several of the Birthday Parade is

in a career, you are very unlikely to be in the Escort more than once,

making today a real career highlight for each and every one of them.

So the Escort marches forward and they will stop some 16 paces from

the Colour Party, ready for the collection to take place.

Halt! Escort for the Colour, in open order, right dress. Massed Bands

will retire. About turn! The Massed Bands, turning to face the Colour

Party and the senior director, Kevin Roberts, making his way through the

band to a new position, close to the front.

Guards attention. Change arms. Slope arms.

And this is a very proud moment for Regimental Sergeant Major Daniel

Hinton as he now prepares to take possession of the Colour, protecting

it with his sword, ready to hand it over its safety to the Emerson,

Second Lieutenant O'Connor, who will then troop the Colour through the

ranks. From the old hand to the new. Second

Lieutenant O'Conor, today's Anson, receives the Colour ready for the

trooping, and places it safely in his white Colour belts. -- belt.

Escort to the Colour, slope arms. The Ensign and Sergeant Major resume

their positions in the Escort and we have now entered a new phase in the

parade because having taken possession, they have become the

Escort to the Colour. Escort to the Colour, change arms.

Escort to the Colour, by the centre, slow march.

So the Escort advances now in slow time, the bands playing Escort To

The Colour by Richard Ridings, which has been played at this point ever

since 1978 and very soon, the bands will have to negotiate what everyone

acknowledges is a rather daunting manoeuvre.

This is the military equivalent of a 3-point turn, they say, known as the

Spin Wheel, 200 musicians supported by the chorus drums, having to

change direction without changing formation. -- supported by the corps

of drums. Among them is Drum Major Smiley of the Irish Guards and he

wants us to know that his five-year-old son Adam is watching

the parade at home in Datchet and of course, other people watching from

different vantage point, like the Duchess of Cornwall, there, in the

Major-General's office overlooking Horse Guards.

The music changes to the Grenadiers Slow March written by Frederick

Harris, the Escort Trooping the Colour through the ranks, the

symbolic foundation of this parade, the specific honour is to parade the

regimental standard or Colour as a rallying point as armies have done

through the centuries. All eyes of course on the Ensign,

Her Majesty looking in great detail, and the audience, and the millions

of viewers around the world, Second Lieutenant O'Conor who was

commissioned from Sandhurst last summer.

He's been telling us about the honour of being

chosen and how he's been preparing for this

I'm very much aware of the symbolism of the colours.

For the Irish Guards, it is a great opportunity to show off our regiment

and history to the public and hopefully I will do it justice on

the day. A lot of hard work has gone into

this, Chris, not just for the Ensign but for all of those taking part in

the parade, as you know, having taken part yourself. Absolutely, and

memories of 21 years ago fresh but looking at it now, the Colour as the

central part in the parade today and it is the central part of the

battalion, it has enormous significance, not only for the Irish

Guards past and present, the people on parade today, but it is a

consecrated symbol of the Battalion of the regiment, it was used

hundreds of years ago as a rallying point in battle and the act of

Trooping the Colour was to ensure that every minute what his Colour

looked like so today as much as then, Carlas are revered as a

central part of the battalion and to all those on parade, it represents

the spirit and the soul of the regiment. Those who have been killed

in action, our past achievements, and it provides an enduring link to

the monarchy, as the Queen, Al Colonel in Chief, presents the

colours, so I really proud moment for the Ensign as he troops the

Colour in front of his fellow guardsmen.

The Escort arriving alongside number to guard and then passing to its

original position, the right guide of number two guard, company

Sergeant Major Griffiths. Halt! Escort to the Colour will

advance. Left turn. Escort to the Colour. Change arms.

Escort to the Colour. Present arms. Numbers one to five guards will

retire. Turn. Guides steady. At the halt. Right form. Quick

march. Music was composed after the World

War by Tom Birkett of the Coldstream Guards as we prepare for the next

phase of the Queen's Birthday Parade.

Numbers one to gif guards will advance. Turn.

Number six guard, close order, march. Number six guard will move to

the right in threes. Four threes. March.

Guards will march past in slow and quick time. By the left, slow march.

So the trooping phase is complete and the march past is about to

begin. We start with a neutral slow march. It is not tied to any

particular regiment and that march is Proud Heritage. It is another

composition by Major Bruce Miller from the Irish Guards.

MUSIC: "Proud Heritage" by Bruce Miller.

Countless of hours of hard work on the Parade Ring bearing fruit.

A great sea of scarlet tunics. Such a wonderful and uplifting sight.

The 1st Battalion Irish Guards based in Hounslow and employed in state

ceremonial public duties and support company, as Chris you were saying, a

very important part of that effort? Hugely, Huw. Support company man the

support weapons in the battalion and that come price the anti-tank

rockets and the mortars. Each and every one of these men are heavily

trained and fighting soldiers. And the discipline, the teamwork, the

attention to detail that you can see today are also the foundations of

second ses on combat operations. That makes them ceremonial soldiers

and in combat operations. The Irish Guards have Trooped their

Colour on 13 occasions. Nine of those have been for Her Majesty the

Queen. The Escort is being led by Field

Officer Lieutenant Colonel Palmer and the Major of the Parade as we

see number two guard approaching. A special mention there for Major

Charles Gair who was with Vince Hockley in Afghanistan. We saw Vince

Hockley earlier and his remarkable recovery from his wounds. Major

Charlie Gair was commanding the control in which Vince was shot.

Charlie got the men to safety. The bearskins being worn tend to be

passed from one generation until the next until recently we were told

that one cold stream officer was still wearing one that was used in a

battle in 1854. Soon the music will change to the

Irish Guards Slow March. Field Officer Jonathan Palmer and

the Major of the Parade is ready to lead the march past.

The Queen acknowledges the Colour. The music has changed to the Irish

Guards Slow March. It is called Let Erin Remember. The ensign lowers the

Colour as he passes the saluting base.

MUSIC: "Let Erin Remember". Raising the sclaurp once again ones the

march past is complete. Looking on no doubt with a measure

of pride is Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, colonel of the Irish

Guards since 2011. A change of music for the Grenadier

Guards slow march. It is Handel's Scipio. No doubt one of those

watching most keenly is the colonel of the Grenadier Guards, the Duke of

Edinburgh. MUSIC: "Scipio" by Handel. The Scots

Guards slow march, Garb Of Auld Gaul. The third member of the salute

base, the Duke of Kent is colonel of the Scots Guards.

The slow march of the Coldstream Guards from Mozart's Figaro.

Their colonel is Sir James Bucknall. The Adjutant of the Parade Captain

Max dao har of the Irish Guards is riding Conner today, Max Doohar. The

music changes to the mutual slow march. This time the Royal Standard.

Field Officer of the brigade is waiting, Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan

Palmer will ride out to salute the Queen now that the slow march is

complete. Yes, indeed, all eyes on Horse

Guards Parade today and many thousands of friends and family are

present, enjoying the sunshine, enjoying the music and enjoying the

drill, the precision and the smartness of the parade.

My colleague Sonali has been catching up with one of those proud

relatives, Anita Ward, mother of Vince Hockley. I'm with Colour

Sergeant's Vince Hockley's mother, Anita Ward. I know that you have

been at the Queen's Birthday Parade when you were Lord Mayor of

Birmingham. But it is the first time as a proud mum? It is. So very

different from when I was here as Lord Mayor. A lot of pride from

myself and from the whole family today. And earlier on in the

programme we heard about Vince's injuries, to go from there to being

here on parade today, just makes it all so extra special, doesn't it? It

is, but it has been down to his own determination, his own will power

and I have to say the support that he has had from those around him.

Including your father who was in the Coldstream Guards and he will be

watching from home today? He is and he will be bursting with pride as

well. There has been a lot of rivalry over the years between the

cold streamers, but dad will be in his element today. Well, enjoy the

parade. It's such a proud day for the family. Thank you very much for

talking to us. Thank you. Bursting with pride. Lovely to talk

to Anita. We're preparing for the march past in quick time.

A word about the pipers. We can see them moving from the rear to the

front of the Massed Bands. 20 pipers, ten from the Irish Guards

and ten from the Scots Guards. Such a lot of style and they add such a

great quality to the music on the day. So a special mention for them.

The guards have now reformed ready to march past in quick time. A new

change of tempo led by the Senior Time Beater from the Scots Guards.

The neutral quick march is Star Of Erin.

It was composed by Major Gerry Horabin who wrote this for the

Birthday Parade in 1974. Among the spectators is Boris

Johnson, the brand secretary, with distinguished guests, and other

visitors including Sir Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary. We

are told that the Prime Minister, Theresa May, is not at the parade

this morning, as we prepare for the march past in quick time, and a real

sense of energy and pace. Great as well, Chris, to mention all the

family support that is so essential in regimental life. Indeed, the

Irish Guards take great pride in being a family regiment and so many

of the men on parade today well, like me, have a father, uncle all

the relation in the regiment. For example, in the Escort alone is

guardsmen Lee Mooney, whose father, grandfather and great-grandfather

when the regiment and there are two sets up brothers, -- of brothers,

and guardsmen Jacob Todd, one of the Colour Sentries, had fathered -- bug

in the regiment, great to see so many Irish Guards families

represented on parade and their families will be in the stands

today, sharing the spectacle. The Irish Guards quick march, St

Patrick's Day. A great surge in the music of the

pipes, giving way to the Grenadier Guards' quick march, The British

Grenadiers. Nijmegen Company, number four company had the honour of

providing the Escort in 2014. The Scots Guards quick march, Hielan'

Laddie, F Company, Scots Guards, an incremental company of Scots Guards

based at Wellington Barracks. The Coldstream Guards' quick march,

Milanollo, number six guard, followed by No 7 Company Coldstream

Guards. -- formed by No 7 Company Coldstream Guards.

Vizier next year for the Coldstream Guards probably because we expect

they will be Trooping the Colour at the Birthday Parade in 2018.

Be field officer riding out once again to salute the Queen with two

movements of the sword. The Massed Bands play

the neutral quick march, Mick's March arranged by MJ

Henderson, former Director of Music Irish Guards, written for

the Birthday Parade in 1996. As the Guards reform

for the next stage of the parade, there's

a moment's relief for the commanding officer Lieutenant

Colonel Jonathan Palmer. It's such a great

moment for him, his family And he's been sharing

his views with us. It's lovely for me as the commanding

officer to be doing something so visible in front of the blokes

and to be doing something I can shout all I like,

but if they don't react to the words of command,

then it doesn't work. I think just being in front

of the Queen, I think that'll be the lasting memory,

because she's an amazing woman. I hope everyone who is on parade

today will look back and, even when they're in their dotage,

give it the old, I was there. Pull up a chair and

listen to my story. Not a bad name to have, Chris? I

think it's entirely reasonable and Jonathan Palmer will be feeling it

100%. I've known him for over 20 years, we met when he first visited

the battalion in Germany when he was thinking about joining the army and

he is now highly experienced soldier who has done several tours of duty

in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is a qualified military parachutist, a

reflection of the Irish Guards link with the Parachute Regiment in the

paratrooper doom, just three months into his time in command and he

learn to write specially for the parade as we heard earlier. I think

it is going well so far for him. -- he learned to ride especially for

the parade. Guards, all! -- halt! Guards,

shoulder arms. The Colour is now taken to the front

of the Escort. Guards, in open order, left and

right dress. Massed Bands, moved to the right. Right turn! By the left,

quick march! The great site, the Footguards

reforming, and soon it will be the turn of the mounted troops. -- the

great sight, then mounted troops will cross the parade ground and

pass the salute. Very hot weather here in central London today,

presenting a challenge, of course, not just to the men and women taking

part in this parade but for the horses as well.

The Massed Bands and drums moving to the south side of the parade ground

to make space for the Mounted Bands. The band of the Household Cavalry

moving on to Horse Guards, led by the assistant Director of Music,

Captain James Marshall of the Blues and Royals. This is the 20th year

that the King's troop, Royal Horse Artillery have been on parade and

they join the event at Horse Guards at the request of the Royal family,

first taking part in 1998. The King's troop, be saluting

battery of the household troops, essentially, formed back in 1946 at

the instigation of King George VI, to revive the firing of royal

salutes on anniversaries and state occasions. Last Saturday, indeed,

they fired a Royal Salute to mark the Duke of Edinburgh's 96th

birthday. The great sight of the Drum Horses,

Damas and mercury, and the are very heavy, given to the lifeguards by

William IV in 1831, weighing around 45 kilograms each.

The King's troop commanded by Major Jim Luck, on his first Birthday

Parade, taking command last autumn. He has been deployed to Afghanistan

on three occasions. Her Majesty will be acknowledging,

in this instance, the lead gun, prominently on display, in effect

the Colour of the troop, so the 13 pounder quickfire guns have that

status. The entered service in 1904 and all six on parade today were

used in the First World War. It has taken 12 hours of work to prepare

the guns to be in the prime condition they are in for the

parade. The King's troop has kept the title of King's troop on the

orders of Her Majesty the Queen in memory of her late father, George

VI, who chose the original name, King's troop, 70 years ago.

The Field Officer of the Sovereign's Escort, Major James Harbord, as

field officer, commanding the Household Cavalry troops on parade,

having been on parade two years ago as an escort commander. The

standard-bearer is Squadron Corporal Major Daniel Sentance, watched by

his wife, Lucy, and his parent in the stands. He is riding Kimberley,

a word about him? Not the first time he has worked with the Irish Guards.

When I was commanding the Irish Guards in Afghanistan in 2010 and

2011, we worked very closely with the Household Cavalry Squadron and I

remember Daniel Sentance in it. It is great to see him working with the

Irish Guards again and a further emphasis on the dual roles,

ceremonial and operational, across the whole Household Division. Here

come the Blues and Royals, the Household Cavalry consisting of two

regiment, the lifeguards and the Blues and Royals, the senior

regiment of the British Army. -- the life guards. And the farriers, with

their glinting axis, who in times gone by would dispatch horses

injured in battle. The music is The Royals, arranged by

Major Ted Jeanes. The field officer's trumpeter is Joe

Gregg of the lifeguards from his first Birthday Parade, from Orkney,

did not set out to be a trumpeter Don he tells us but says it is a

great honour to be part of an important occasion like this. And

the trumpeter's course is a grey so it is very visible on the

battlefield. -- trumpeter's horse is a grave. -- grey. A dramatic surge

of speed and pace and energy. This is the trot past. The King's Troop

were recently deployed to central London to support the police in key

locations including Downing Street as part of operation tempora, a good

moment for us to pay tribute to all members of the Armed Forces and all

members of the services who have shown exceptional dedication in

recent months, faced with harrowing circumstances. -- Operation

Temperer. Major Jim Luck is riding Galaxy

today. Each of the guns, followed by six horses. Kicking up a lot of dust

on this very dry parade ground today. At the rear we have the

masters of the troop and the first ever female ever master Taylor in

the British Army, Sergeant Emma Colton.

The turn of the Life Guards to trot past her imagine stead. Majesty.

Carrying 43 Battle Honours including Passchendaele and that battle will

be commemorated in special events at the end of July in Belgium.

Led by Captain James Marshall. The band of the Household Cavalry

presents its own birthday tribute. Kettle drummers, riding the Drum

Horses, crossing their sticks in their special form of salute for the

Queen. Musicians look magnificent wearing the state coat which signals

that they are members of the Royal Household, crimson very well set and

gold braid and lace. It has been unchanged pretty much since 1685.

The band of the Household Cavalry moving to the other end of the

parade ground, near the old admiralty building where the

assistant Director of Music will come to a halt and turn inwards

slightly and that's the signal that he's handing back control to the

Field Officer, ready for that final Birthday Salute to the Queen in this

Birthday Parade. Guards, in close order, left and

right dress. The guards taking up their dressing. This time all the

guards in one very long line. This again is the result of very

disciplined work on the parade ground which we saw earlier at

Pirbright. Guards, form three lines.

Guards will retire, about turn. At the halt, by divisions, right form,

quick march. As the guards reform into six

divisions ready to march off, the music played is the Adjutant by scam

major Tom Birkett. They are closing up to reduce the length of the

procession which will take place imminently along the Mall.

Guards on the He is sort, form close column. Remainder, by the left,

quick march. So as the drums play Prussia's

German Chancellor, the guards close up and the pace stick being returned

now to the regimental Sergeant Major Danny Hinton by Guardsman Rainey.

The left guide of the Escort, Colour Sergeant Darren Laurimore.

And making their way to the Approach Road as we come to the end of the

parade, garrison Sergeant Major Andrew Stokes of the Coldstream

Guards accompanied by Drum Major Steve State. This is Andrew Stokes'

second Birthday Parade. He joined the Army in 1988 he served in the

Balkans and Iraq and Afghanistan. He is in charge of the arrangements for

this parade on Horse Guards and there is a lot of responsibility on

those very broad shoulders. The Field Officer prepares to ask

Her Majesty's permission to march off to conclude this parade.

Your Majesty's guards are ready to march off, Ma'am.

So another Birthday Parade concluded in the Queen's 91st year, the 61st

year of the Queen's reign and the formal part of the celebration, if

you like, is over, but believe me, there is plenty of colour and

pageantry and rousing music to come. There will be the march along the

Mall. All the guards accompanied by Her Majesty and the Duke of

Edinburgh and then there will be the fly-past at around one o'clock by

the Royal Air Force. 29 aircraft. It's going to be pretty spectacular.

Some of those Royal guests were watching in the Horse Guards

building. They have already left and they are making their way back to

the palace ready for that appearance on the balcony. Prince Harry with

the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge. Extreme heat

on Horse Guards today and that's clearly affected one or two of the

members taking part. It is perfectly understandable. The Queen's carriage

is now back at the saluting base ready for the journey back with her

troops. With the troops of the Household Division. Her personal

troops. Back to the area beyond St James' Park and down to the Queen

Victoria Memorial and Buckingham Palace, it's a wonderful familiar

journey. There will be thousands of people there to greet Her Majesty

and the Duke when they arrive. It has been a very busy few days for

members of the Royal Family. Yesterday, Her Majesty, was in West

London visiting local people thereafter the dreadful events of

recent days. That's very much been on Her Majesty's mind given the

statement she released today. She said in the statement it is a day of

celebration, but a sombre mood marking national events and she very

much wanted to make that plain. The bands having saved some of the

very best tunes for the end of the parade as the bands always do!

Because this is a great moment to show case some of their best music

as the parade is over and they've got a few minutes to perform for us

as we watch the procession going back to Buckingham Palace.

I should say as well Chris, that for the Field Officer, who, of course,

has been in charge of this parade, it is quite a responsibility. This

is also the moment where you may or may not get some direct Feed Back

from the Queen either on the procession or when they get back to

the palace? Huw, I think he will. The hard work and the training has

paid off and he and all the Guardsmen should congratulate

themselves on a job really done. High standards of drill. Excellent

teamwork, concentration, physical stamina, they've all combined to

give us a really first class performance and I think all Irish

Guards men, past and present, will want to join with me in

congratulating the Escort and the other guards on a job really well

done. As you said, Her Majesty the Queen is the Colonel-In-Chief will

have a view and Jonathan Palmer can expect to be thoroughly debriefed

back at Palace, but having watched the parade, I don't think he has got

anything to be worried about there. I mentioned the heat and I think it

is worth saying something about it because it is not surprising that

the intense heat as affected one or two people but it has not impaired

the quality of the parade. Absolutely not and it's a testament

to all the troops on parade that they have delivered an absolutely

first-class performance despite some really challenging conditions.

We are staying on air on BBC One to see the procession back to the

Palace and to see the birthday bypassed by the Royal Air Force,

which the Queen and members of the Royal family will enjoy from the

famous balcony at Buckingham Palace and there will be thousands there to

enjoy the bypassed. -- the fly past. The tradition of the Monica leading

the guards back to Buckingham Palace was established by George V in 1914,

just over a century ago. At that time, the parade had become so

popular, it was decided they needed to provide an even more impressive

experience for the thousands of spectators. It is no less popular

today. The Senior Drum Major and colleagues

leading the way with the Massed Bands, who have performed

magnificently today, we were speaking to Scott Fitzgerald during

the week and he was looking forward to this, his final parade and during

the Queen's 65 years on the throne, the Armed Forces have been through a

great deal of change but the participants in the Birthday Parade

have remained remarkably constant, the five Regiment of Footguards and

the two regiments of the Household Cavalry, who make up the Household

Division, plus the horse-drawn guns of the King's Troop, Royal Horse

Artillery. I love the Vista looking down the Mall towards Buckingham

Palace, the grand ceremonial route designed by Sir Aston Webb in the

early 20th century, so familiar to the Queen and the Royal family,

which has featured for every great event of her reign, and before that,

this is where she travelled to her wedding in 1947, November, vast

crowds there of course, and for other royal weddings in the decade

that followed, and also a feature of more sombre occasions, such as her

father's funeral in 1952, and her mother's funeral, in 2002. A word

about the street line is because they perform such a valuable

function, 12 officers, 220 men from the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards

lining the processional route from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards,

commanded by Lieutenant Colonel James Thurstan who was the field

officer at the parade last year and Chris, there is a danger sometimes

to maybe overlook the street liners because what is going on an Horse

Guards Parade but it is very important to underline what they do.

Absolutely, they play a fundamental role in the parade, formed from the

1st Battalion Coldstream Guards today, providing spectacle and

Colour back along the Mall and it will be an important moment for them

as the Queen and Royal procession pass them on their way back up to

Buckingham Palace. We mention that the Welsh Guards, for example, today

represented by Kevin Roberts and some of the musicians in the band.

It is important for us to recognise who is not here today. Indeed, three

battalions not represented, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, 1st

Battalion Scots Guards and 1st Battalion Welsh Guards who are busy

preparing for operational duty, as part of the UK's high readiness

forces and they are likely to deploy in the next year to furnish the UK's

enduring commitments in the Middle East and Afghanistan, so exciting

and important work that they are engaged in at the moment. As we

enjoy these images and we see the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh

enjoying them, and the crowds and the sights and sounds of the music,

a word about the Regimental Adjutant 's as well because we sometimes

don't get a good look at them but there are six of them and I am just

wondering, could you tell us a bit about them, and especially Colonel

Timothy Purdon, in his last parade today. They ride at the rear of the

procession and they are retired officers of the division who run the

parts of the regiment outside the service battalions and I suppose

they are a reflection of the back service in the Household Division as

lifelong connections and they undertake some really important work

with veterans and you are right to mention the Irish Guards Regimental

Adjutant, Timothy Purdon, retiring this year after over 45 years

service to the regiment and an important family connection carried

on, his son James served with me in Afghanistan in 2010.

The Royal Standard fluttering above Buckingham Palace and the Queen

Victoria Memorial and we can see the progress of the troops and the

Massed Bands and the Household Cavalry as they make their way back

to Buckingham Palace and as we look forward to the events leading to the

balcony appearance and the birthday fly past, I'm delighted once again

to welcome to the commentary box the journalist, author, commentator

Robert Hardman, who writes for the Daily Mail. Welcome, Robert. Thank

you. Thoughts on today's parade, whether Queen clearly wanted to

combine a sombre message, insisting on the minute's silence, combining

that with of course I parade which is all about celebration. The

monarchy stands for many things, of course, continuity, keeping calm and

carrying on but at the same time, representing the nation to itself in

times of both triumph and tragedy and I really think we have seen that

very clearly today. Let's also remember today is the nearest we

have Tuwai United Kingdom national Day, the Queen is very conscious of

that, in British embassies, high commissions and communities all over

the world, today is the day for putting out the flags. France may

have bastille Day and the Americans may have died the fourth but for the

British around the world, it is the Queen's birthday and that is why it

matters in so many other ways. The tone of the method earlier today,

Robert, really was in keeping with the kind of tone set by the Queen

and the Duke of Cambridge when they visited West London yesterday. Yes,

I was there at the Westway Centre in Kensington yesterday. It was

abundantly clear what the presence of the Queen and the Duke of

Cambridge meant to the entire community. It is sometimes thought

that perhaps monarchy is governed by rigid protocol and doing things by

the book but as we have seen in recent weeks, the Queen has been

very quick to adapt and reflect what people are thinking and feeling and

at the same time, she was there yesterday, the Prince of Wales was

holding an investiture at Buckingham Palace and he also paused for a

minute's silence while he was doing that. We have seen time and again,

these moments, monarchy is about being there during the highs and

lows. We have also seen, as we look at the progress down the Mall, and

it is a great site, with the greenery St James Park and Green

Park to the left, leading up to Piccadilly, we can see the

sovereign's procession is almost back at the point where the gates

and the carriage gates of Buckingham Palace open before us but a thought

about the busyness of the Royal timetable and the fact that the

timetable has had to be adjusted quite considerably for some very big

events. Yes, next week, we were expecting the State Opening of

Parliament on Monday which has now moved to Wednesday. The Queen has

now rewritten the diary twice for next week, the Order of the Garter,

the oldest order of chivalry, always meet on the Monday after this event

but that was cancelled because of the State opening and we have got a

state visit coming up very shortly from the King of Spain, which will

bring all of the Royal household and the different components together

for that so the Queen has got a full week of events up in Scotland at

Holyrood House as well. These are all very important parts of the

calendar and at the same time, as we have seen, she is changing the diary

all the time. And at the same time, this week, you know, I was at a very

touching ceremony in the East End of London on Thursday where the Queen

and the Duke were there to mark the centenary of the first day like air

raid on London in 1917, when a bomb dropped on a primary school, killing

18 children. A very moving service, and then a trip to the school as it

stands today, a remarkable school in Tower Hamlets. Once again, a day of

very powerful, contrasting scenes. And you mentioned earlier, of

course, that this is the Queen's 65th Birthday Parade, a record, in

the Sapphire Jubilee year, another record. But as we see the Queen and

the Duke of Edinburgh coming down the Mall, it is worth reflecting,

these two really have rewritten the Royal record books in so many ways,

our longest lived, longest reigning monarch but I think perhaps it is

worth remembering the great upcoming landmark the Queen is perhaps

looking forward to most in November when she will mark, with the Duke,

the first ever Royal Platinum wedding anniversary. The Duke is not

in uniform for the first time at this parade, Robert, he is, of

course, Colonel of the Grenadier Guards and people will reflect

today, as we see the Queen with the Duke at her side, as he always is,

but from the autumn, his commitment will change considerably. Yes, he is

announced he is going to scale back his engagements. He is still

attached to some 780 organisations around the world. He is a very

practical man. He is thinking about how to handle the batons but at the

same time, we have been told he will still turn up at certain events and

I think the way this has been announced is quite clever, it means

there is no obligation on him to attend certain things, we don't have

do expect him here and there and we don't have to worry when he is not

at certain things but I think when the big events come up, looking

ahead to things like the Spanish state visit and the possible state

visit by President Trump, and next year, a huge Commonwealth summit, I

think we can certainly expect to see him at the Queen's side for the big

occasions. And your thoughts about the way the Royal family has managed

to reshape, I suppose, the engagement and involvement of the

younger royals over the last few years, but we are now really seeing

it in great evidence? Yes, we are, the sense of what some people call

Team wins, in a gentle, understated way, no big, headline replacements,

but here and there, members of the Royal family, other members,

representing the Queen. First and foremost, what they all do in

addition to their own personal interests, their primary role is to

support and represent the Queen and we are seeing that time and again,

whether it is at an investiture, visiting overseas all day-to-day

events around the country. It is pretty hard work, I imagine,

marching and playing and contending with the heat but it is certainly

not undermining the performance. The music is as rousing unspectacular as

ever. The Queen and Duke are clearly enjoying it. -- as rousing and

spectacular as ever. They are surveying the scene on this great

day of the Birthday Parade. The Duke of Edinburgh, of course, the Colonel

of the Grenadier Guards and he visited the barracks to present the

Manchester Trophy at the annual intercompany football match a few

months ago, still very devoted to the regiment. And not forgetting of

course, just a few years ago, the Queen presented the Duke with the

title and office of Lord high Admiral of the Navy to mark his 90th

birthday. So, lots of members of the Royal

family on the balcony, greeting Her Majesty and the Duke as they return

home to Buckingham Palace. Prince Harry, there, and the Earl of

Wessex, the Duke of York, the Duchess of Cornwall, just

acknowledging some of the waves below. And very soon, we will have

the Queen and the Duke appearing, too, on the balcony, ready for the

RAF fly past. And we can see the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess

of Cambridge, and imported birthday year for the Duchess of Cornwall,

who will be 70 next month and is looking forward to a party with all

her charities. Some younger ones on the balcony, Robert but are we

expecting to see some more? It would be nice, wouldn't it? Princess

Charlotte made her debut last year, and the Duchess of Cambridge is up

there as well. Prince George may be in the background. Let's wait and

see what emerges. We will see. We don't have long to wait, and very

soon, thousands of spectators will have reached beyond the confines of

Saint James 's part, they will be going right down towards Buckingham

Palace and here on Horse Guards, I can tell you a huge crowd is making

its way down towards the Palace, so all of the gardens, the Queen's

Gardens, Canada Gate of the left, and on the right, Saint James' Park

ahead of you, which has been one of the Royal Parks for many centuries,

and at one point, even had a zoo and a menagerie but not these days. It

is one of the nicest parks in London to spend a few hours in, especially

on a day like this. So lots of people enjoying the

atmosphere and Sonali is joined by Major Colonel Richards to talk to

him about today's events. Richard, your role is to make sure

that everyone's riding is up to scratch and also the horses, that

includes them too. Were you pleased with what you have seen today? Yes,

very pleased. The horses with the temperature as it was, they behaved

themselves well and the guys rode really well as well. Yes, part of

your role is to make sure they don't get spooked by the noise, the bands,

the crowds here? Yeah, we do a lot of conditioning training towards

that. We have the luxury of Hyde Park. We have got our own Mounted

Bands and we can do a lot of that work as well. How tough will the

heat have been on everyone out there on parade? The guys will certainly

have felt it. As soon as you put this uniform on, you start to heat

up and the temperature is about 27 Celsius today. They will have

certainly been feeling it out there today. Do you think you can relax

now? Once they're off and they're back at camp, then I will relax and

every horse that we've got on the parade, once we know they are all

back in and we will check them when they are back and make sure they are

safe and sound and ready for the next parade. It really has been a

wonderful day, the atmosphere and the crowds and everyone has been

enjoying it? It has been amazing just having the numbers on the

streets and the environment of Horse Guards Parade is just fantastic when

you're in there and it's full. Richard, I'm glad you can relax

soon, not just yet, but soon. Thank you. Sonali with just one of those

playing an important part in today's parade.

They prepare to change the guard in the fore court of Buckingham Palace.

As we enjoy this sight, Chris, why don't you explain to us what's going

on here and relate that to some of those who have been working hard in

the parade. Well, Huw, not many people know that when the Escort get

back to Buckingham Palace, the parade may have ended for a lot of

people, but for them, they go on to conduct the normal Changing of the

Guard. When we got to this point in 1996, we were tired, but we were

determined to conduct a flawless Changing of the Guard. The people on

the right-hand side of the screen will be expecting it, but this is

where individual physical fitness comes in, it is a physically

demanding task and the training will have prepared them for this, so

there is no loss in performance despite the very hot temperatures.

How long will they be on daout yu and maintaining this duty for now?

The Guardsmen will have a one or two hour duty on top of having completed

the Queen's Birthday Parade. So a pretty significant task for them. So

just thinking about the men who are now confronted with a little more

duty as I say, in the glorious sunshine. Horse Guards Parade,

playing host to today's spectacular event, but Buckingham Palace right

at the centre of events as the parade is concluded.

So as the Changing of the Guard is completed, just a thought about

others working less prominently, but still performing very important

tasks because in the weeks leading up to the event, the team has been

out behind the scenes getting the Royal Parks ready and they look

fantastic. So what makes them look fantastic? What gets them to that

standard? Let's look at some of those working behind the scenes.

I'm Lucy and I run the gardening, well, horticulture team

This is effectively the Queen's front garden.

It is probably the busiest park in the world and we

It's an early start for us on the morning

We are all out at least by six o'clock in the morning, making sure

The Mall has never been swept so many times as the day

Probably what we don't know about putting flags up and taking

We're here cleaning the Guards Memorial today,

just making sure that it's all nice and clean and ready for the general

public and for the Queen to come past.

They are life-size statues of real Guardsmen from the Coldstream,

We give it a cold wash down first and then we start

applying a bronzing agent to the patina just to make

sure it comes up nice and clean and keeps its colour.

Today, they're planting a mixture of four foot,

three foot and two foot geraniums, so about 22,000 plants altogether.

I'll be here on the Friday double-checking everything

is looking good, replacing anything that needs doing the day before.

I've been known to watch the Trooping the Colour on TV,

and especially when the Red Arrows fly over and you see these

flowerbeds, I can see that they're up to standard.

The police will shut the road for us and then we'll get the word

I'll bring the lorries in, they'll start to remove

the traffic lights, i.e., lifting the manholes up,

unplugging all the electrics, straps round the traffic lights,

they'll be pulled out of the ground, cover plates will be

put in over the holes, then I'll come along

They'll be removed and once that's all clear, so basically

you will have a crystal clear view of

the whole of the Mall, right from Admiralty Arch,

All you'll see is the Union Jack flags and then

I still have butterflies the night before.

You know, you always think, what if there's a thunderstorm?

And we could have 50,000 people easily on the Mall and in front

I would like Her Majesty to think it is fit for a queen.

I've been involved in flying flags for 18 years approximately,

So near enough every day is different.

It all comes with its stresses and strains

For the Queen's Birthday Parade, there's 208 flags that are flown

The flags are already prepacked, so when the lads take

them up to the flagpole, they're all in the right order

The art of hanging a flag is firstly to get it the right way up.

So if you're looking at any of the flags in the background,

you can see that broad white is out on the leading edge.

On top of each of the flagpoles, there is a crown.

The Crown is obviously put on the flagpole

This morning, we've been working on the Mall,

flying the flags that you can see, which is the 50 Union Flags,

and from there, we moved on to Admiralty Arch,

The buzz you get out of this job is seeing all the flags out.

I don't think Her Majesty ever probably thinks who have

actually put the flags up, but I'd like to think that she looks

and admires them and, you know, is very proud to see all the flags

when she's processing to Horse Guards.

When members of the public talk to us, they're surprised

Not so much the Queen's Guards and everyone else,

it's the people around that are unseen.

The work that goes on, the preparation that goes

on for weeks and weeks, just for this one day.

Although I've seen it 20 times before, it really

What a lovely insight that was into all the work that goes on. Chris,

I'm pleased we were able to draw attention to the fact that people

are working for hours and hours before the parade gets under way,

but for weeks before it starts? Absolutely Huw, having marched

countless times through the Queen's Gardens, we are conscious of the

enormous amount of hard work that goes on to make such a spectacular

setting and I think it's appreciated by everybody. What fantastic work

they do. The Queen's garden is looking splendid. All the hard work

has paid off. Congratulations to everyone involved. We can see the

threat throng of people being guided down slowly along the Mall. Very

soon they will fill the entire space coming right down to the Queen

Victoria Memorial for that fly-past in 20 minutes. 29 aircraft from the

Royal Air Force are all ready to fly over the Palace with the Red Arrows

to conclude the fly-past. It will be majestic and impressive and everyone

is looking forward to that. I'd like to join Sonali who is with Mark,

whose team has been working so hard in the Royal Parks. Let's join them.

Mark is full of pride because as you touched on there, Huw, his gardens

are looking absolutely splendid. What have you made of today? Any

last minute hiccups for this prorning and with preparations? No

real hiccups. The heat that they forecast today made us get up really

early this morning and we were watering down the dust of Horse

Guards Parade ground from 5am which is much earlier, but look at the

people who are here and are enjoying it. It was great to see the level of

detail that you have to go through weeks, months in advance, but even

as simple as taking out the traffic lights, do you think all the

thousands of people here think about those kind of things? I'm sure they

don't, but when you see the wonderful procession that happened

down the Mall, how on earth would we do it if we hadn't removed the road

islands and traffic lights. So to us it is a common occurrence that we

have to do for something of this nature and doesn't it make a

difference to the spectacle of the event? We have been talking about

preparation but you also have a sizeable clean-up operation, that

already starts before the parade ends? Never has the Mall been swept

so often as it is today! So we were out again in the early hours of this

morning making sure the Mall was swept so it was fit for the parade,

but even while Trooping the Colour was taking place on Horse Guards

Parade ground we were out again with the road sweeper before we saw the

horses come back. As we speak, I have another team. Once upon a time,

we would have done it by a hand brush, but now we use mechanical

sweepers, we will be sweeping late into the day, after the fly-past by

the RAF and the balcony appearance we will be working late into the

afternoon to get back to normal. Once you finish the clean-up

operation, what's next for the Passion team? I think feet up

tomorrow, but we have the State Opening of Parliament on Wednesday,

not with the procession that we normally expect because of change of

dates and then in July we look forward to a state visit by the king

and queen of Spain so that again will see the Mall transformed. So

not a huge amount of rest before you have to get the team together again?

We have very defined, what we call ceremonial seasons in St James'

Park, it does keep us very busy for a period of time. Mark, huge

congratulations to you and the whole team that we saw in that film.

Everything has been looking splendid today. Congratulations. Thank you

very much. Yes, well done to Mark and his

entire team. This is the scene in Green Park, another of the Royal

Parks where the King's Troop is riding into provide that 41 gun

salute as they do on the day of the birth dae parade. There will be a 21

gun salute for the Queen's official birthday and an additional 20 gun

salute because it is taking place in a royal park. Let's not forget, of

course, there is a gun salute to mark the official birthday, there is

a gun salute on 21st April to mark Her Majesty's actual birthday. And,

a week ago, for the colonel's review, at the parade ground, there

are two reviews before the actual Birthday Parade, for the colonel's

review, there was a gun salute provided too for the 96th birthday

of the Duke of Edinburgh. So they have been very busy. That is quite

an impressive sight, isn't it? Robert, you do wander when you

emerge from that Palace balcony to be greeted by that, it's quite

breathtaking? Well, as the Queen said this is a nation that's

resolute and there is an enormous resolute body of people coming down

there. No one will be dissuaded from coming along today for this great

event. The one event of the year when you see all the Royal Family

lined up together. We heard about flags there, the wonderful Royal

Parks flag team who put the Union Flags up and down the Mall who have

got to take them down shortly and put up Spanish ones, but among that

crowd, flags of every nation the it is worth remembering the Queen is

head of state of 15 other nations. 15 other realms and for them, it's a

big day too. It is a big year this. For Canada, for example, in a

fortnight's time, Canada will be marking 150 years of confederation.

The Royal Family all will be at the heart of that. The Queen doesn't do

long haul travel. There is a Canadian. We didn't plan that! So,

The Prince of Wales will go to Canada representing the Queen for

the festivities there, but the Queen will play a very big part in all the

events that happen here too. For example the Princess Royal riding a

horse called Sir John, a Canadian horse. So at every level the little

connections big and small and the whole world is here today.

A very big police presence in Central London. We saw the dozens of

police officers trying to control this vast crowd as it makes its way

down towards Buckingham Palace. It is a good moment again to reflect on

the work done by the Metropolitan Police in recent days in West

London, during the tragedy at Grenfell Tower but of course, all

the emergency services, the Ambulance Service and of course the

Fire Brigade, along with the police, who have performed such remarkable

work and shown such courage and dedication, not just in London after

the events of recent weeks but of course in Manchester, too. I suppose

that is all part, Chris, of the great epic that is made across the

Armed Forces and emergency services at times of great national need.

Absolutely. The Armed Forces stand ready in the nation's need, as we

saw that with Operation Temperer, when the alert state was raised

after recent attacks, so we consider ourselves to be at the nation's

service which is expressed admirably today in Trooping the Colour, but in

lots of other, countless smaller events throughout the year and when

we are required. So the King's Troop is ready to fire the salute in Green

Park. We can now talk to a member of the King Street about to fire the

salute in honour of the Queen's Birthday. -- of the King's Troop.

Your stories connected with the Queen's Birthday Parade because you

decided to join the King's Troop after seeing a photo of them

parading up Trooping the Colour. I did, I always wanted to join the

army but did not have a clue what I wanted to do and then I saw pictures

of the King's Troop on Trooping the Colour and I said I would be that

I've been there ever since. This year marks 100 years since women

were formally allowed into the British Armed Forces. What is your

experience as a in the army like? No different to any other soldier, all

we want is someone who could do the job and do it well and there does

not need to be an issue. It does not matter if you are male or female,

short or tall, as long as you can do the job. The King's Troop in

particular have been pioneers in terms of the number of women. It has

been fairly equal at times between the sexes. It has come a yeah, and

we are getting more and more females all the time, it is nearly 50-50.

Keep coming! Is that what you would say to anyone thinking about joining

the army but a bit hesitant? It's a great life, it is hard work and you

have to be dedicated because you need to look after live animals all

the time but as long as you are willing to work, it is. Great You

are normally parading a busy doing something else, getting ready for

the gun salutes so what have you made the parade today? I have not

seen much of it but I'm sure I will catch up with it, run over and watch

the Royal Salute and see how it goes but as usual, it will be fine. We

must not miss that so I will let you go. Thank you for joining us.

So, those lucky people at the front end of the crowd, they are the ones

who will get the railings of the Palace first of all and they will be

able to see close up the reaction of the Royal family when the Birthday

Parade happens. This is the moment, Robert, when we see the flow of

people, when we realise there is an exceptional crowd here today. Yes,

looking right back up the Mall, you know, this is tens of thousands, I

could not put a figure on it but it is a reflection of what an important

event this is, not just for the people of London, the people of

Britain but for people all over the world. I have met people in that

crowd over the issue have flown in from as far afield as Australia just

to be here. It is the day you see all the Royal family, you see

everything that so many people think of as being great about Great

Britain. Do you think we can say with confidence today that this

crowd, which is an exceptionally big one, it seems to me, is something to

do with an expression of solidarity with London and other parts of the

UK that have been, you know, experiencing very difficult times

recently? I think that is absolutely right, I think it is interesting,

feeling the tone of the crowd, I think it is reflected by the Queen's

message which in recent years, there has perhaps been a bit more euphoria

and a sense of jubilation but today, people are very much here, proud,

they want to be you, to be together, to see the Queen, but not quite the

same exuberance that we have seen in previous years and I think that is

precisely appropriate and that is what the Queen wants. As she said,

this is a very sombre moment but we are united in sadness and without

fear or favour, we are going to get things right. There is that

combination, clearly lots of people here who are British but lots of

tourists as well, and they are delighted to be here, to be part of

one of the most impressive parades, one of the most impressive

ceremonial events anywhere in the world. Let's talk to one of them

now. I'm with 16-year-old Madison from

Philadelphia, USA. What brought you today? We are here on a family

vacation and we thought we were coming to see the changing of the

guard and we got here and there were so many people, and I asked if this

happens every day but then we asked wannabe police officers and they

said, this is so special and the Royal family will come out, and I

said, I don't care what we're doing the rest of the day, we have to see

this. I love the fact you stumbled upon one of Britain's biggest

parade! Yeah, I'm surprised, with everything, I never even knew about

this, with all I know about the Royals. I'm glad you did and I hope

you enjoy it. We can state officially this does

not happen everyday! Just imagine if they advertised it! The King's

Troop, ready to fire the first of the gun salute in Green Park. Six

guns, formed up in a line abreast in the royal Parks.

The gun salute echoing all over central London, telling the world,

really, that the Birthday Parade has taken place and this is the day of

the Queen's official birthday, and of course, as we saw earlier, the

Queen accompanied once again by the Duke of Edinburgh, who has

maintained his own close personal relationship with the service men

and women. In 1953, the Duke was appointed Admiral of the feet, Field

Marshal, Marshal of the Royal Air Force but as we were discussing, he

is stepping down from lots of public and royal duties later this year.

Like all of us who served in the Navy during the war, I lost many

friends and shipmates who are commemorated here.

His first salute is for the ship and it is her captain at Prince Philip

now greets. Lieutenant Colonel R De Harper is now the guest and Prince

Philip command says ship. -- Lieutenant Harper is now the guest.

One of the great thing is that the services can do is they can take

ordinary people and turn them into extraordinary people.

And the crowd very soon we'll see the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen

and all the other members of the Royal family, the principal members,

on the famous balcony at Buckingham Palace and it is a moment as well,

Robert, or the family to show itself in all its generations. Very true,

and as the film showed, the great contribution of the Duke to today's

monarchy, I think everyone will be very conscious of the fact that we

are here, that the monarchy is in such a strong and happy place at

present. So much of that is down to the role the Duke has played over

the years. He is always at the Queens side. I think for many

people, that will be the abiding memory of today, the two of them in

the carriage together. We have talked a lot about the relationship,

for example, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Grenadier Guards. It is

worth reflecting again on the very close bond that has built up in six

years between the Duke of Cambridge of the Irish Guards. Absolutely, he

is the kernel, he became the kernel in 2011 when we were in Afghanistan

and that was a huge morale boost and on our return, he and the Duchess

came to Windsor and presented us with our campaign medals and they

presented Elizabeth crosses to the families of those who had been

killed. He and the Duchess were absolutely brilliant and it really

sealed their relationship with the regiment. They are part of the

family. We are scanning the skies above

central London because we want a bit of warning that the fly past is

coming. While we wait for it, I don't think it is far-away, it is

going to be with us in a couple of minutes. Some 29 aircraft. We are

expecting eight elements to the bypassed. No one will enjoy it more

than the Queen. She loves the birthday fly past which is why they

are emerging on the balcony ready for it to take place. The Queen and

the Duke leading the way. Cameras at the ready. And there are,

we can see Princess Charlotte for the second year running making an

appearance on the balcony and Prince George with them, who turns four

next month, will start going to school in the autumn. For many of

the people down there, I think that is a particularly memorable start.

You can see him thinking, "I have been here before, I have seen this!"

But a very happy scene. The Princess with a touch more curiosity. The

Duke of Edinburgh, trying to generate some enthusiasm. For the

Queen, an interesting point, we can see the guards' Roach, particularly

important piece of jewellery on a day like today. They are in place

and the fly past is about to happen because the first element is a

Chinook and two Puma helicopters from RAF Benson. This is the first

element. The Chinook, of course, with its distinctive twin rotors,

can often be seen in the skies above London, the RAF uses it above London

to train it screws in how to operate in complex environments so it is a

very important piece of equipment for the royal air force. -- train

its crews. A bit more excitement now the fly past is about to happen, he

did not realise there would be something to look at. Of course, the

Duke of Cambridge's career as an air ambulance pilot means he might be

explaining it to Prince George. So we have the Chinook and the Puma.

The captain of the Chinook, Squadron leader Jack Kyle and politely turned

Gary McCabe for the Puma. Waving to the aircrew from the palace balcony.

We are expecting a Hawker Hurricane and two Spitfires. These are from

the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. 2017 is a very special year

for the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. Celebrating their 60th

anniversary. A round of applause for the Hurricane and Spitfires.

And the Hurricane piloted by Andy. The third element, we have the

Shadow and two King aircraft. Intelligence, surveillance, target,

reconnaissance aircraft. That's the purpose of the Shadow R1. That's

making quite an impression. It's quite a presence in the sky. It has

to be said. The Hawk element is the C-17 Globemaster, three from RAF

Brize Norton and we have a BAe 146 from RAF north folt. The C-17

transporting huge amounts of freight and can do so over 4500 feet.

The fifth element is the A4100 M atlas from RAF Brize Norton and we

have the C 130 Hercules from RAF Brize Norton. As important heavy

lift aircraft. We have fo Typhoons. Here comes the seventh element, the

Voyager from RAF Brize Norton, the RAF's largest aircraft. This really

does pass with a thundering boom across the skies. It is used for air

to air refuelling and the two Tornadoes.

We are waiting for the climax, the great display by the Red Arrows.

Fantastic, patriotic sight of red, white and blue against that dazzling

blue sky over Central London today. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE the Red Arrows

in their 53rd season. A fitting end to the fly-past for this Queen's

Birthday Parade. The Queen just surveying the scene.

Enjoyed the fly-past. So the Queen and three generations

of the Royal Family make their way back into Buckingham Palace. The

Birthday Parade of 2017, the Queen's 91st year is at an end. Another

superb display by everyone on