THE QUEEN CELEBRATES HER OFFICIAL BIRTHDAY

June 17, 2001Jun 17, 2001, 11:00 PM GMT+1

The Queen marked her official birthday with one of the wettest Trooping the Colours ever. Dressed in a beige raincoat, the monarch was forced to shelter under a canopy at the annual military parade, although the downpour held off as, holding a delicate white umbrella, she travelled by carriage from Buckingham Palace to the parade ground. Accompanying her was the first black officer in the 341-year history of the Life Guards, Ghana-born Captain Justin Butah, 30, who was commander of the Sovereign’s escort.

Although it may have rained on the Queen’s parade ground, the 700 guardsmen managed to keep perfect time as they marched through the puddles. Four hundred and thirty eight red tunics, worn by some of the guardsmen, are now at the dry cleaners. “under such intense rain, the whitener on the belts ran into the red tunics,” said a spokesman for the army. “It will take a lot of work to save them.”

There was a 41-gun salute in Green Park from the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, but the RAF had to cancel a planned fly-past over Buckingham Palace as the weather closed in. The Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal and the Duke of Kent, all regimental colonels-in-chief, were soaked as they rode out during the ceremony. However, the Queen Mother chose wisely to watch the procession with Columbus Taylor, six, the son of Lady Helen Taylor, and other royals, from a balcony overlooking Horse Guards.

And the monarch has found a new business opportunity. She already has an extensive property portfolio, but is expanding into another area of real estate. Six lodges and cottages, advertised on the Balmoral Castle website, are up for rent – some are just a few hundred yards from the castle itself. All are fully equipped and furnished, with bed linen and towels provided.

The residences, priced between £250 and £750 a week, are expected to earn the monarch about £150,000 a year, and will be used to offset the running costs of Balmoral. A spokesman for the estate, Peter Ord, said that any security risks had been overcome, but would not go into detail. “They have only been advertised on our website for a short time and are attracting a great deal of interest.”

Members of the royal family appeared briefly on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to wave to the crowds

While her husband, riding in the parade, was not so lucky, the Queen sheltered from the downpour in a beige mackintosh

After arriving with the Countess of Wessex, the Queen Mother chose wisely to watch the procession under the shelter of a balcony overlooking the Horse Guards

The Queen is renting out properties at Balmoral, which is set to make the estate a healthy six-figure sum each year

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