Trooping the Colour came and went after many months of preparations. Lieutenant Colonel James Shaw, Brigade Major to the Brigade of Guards and, by dint, head of the royal procession at Trooping the Colour, exclusively revealed in this week's royal newsletter, that preparations began back in January, with two major rehearsals taking part in the past two weeks.
King Charles, the man at the centre of the celebrations, would have no doubt overseen every detail of this year's Trooping the Colour, his first as sovereign, so imagine his shock when he was surprised with an unexpected formation during the flypast.
© GettyAs the 74-year-old monarch watched the aircrafts fly over London with his family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, 18 typhoons arranged themselves to spell out "CR," his initials. "C" stands for Charles, whilst "R" represents Rex, which is Latin for King.
© gettyCharles, who witnessed the moment whilst standing next to his wife Queen Camilla, managed to maintain his composure – but his sister-in-law the Duchess of Edinburgh had a totally different reaction, watch the video below to see Sophie's excited reaction!
Saturday was an incredibly special Trooping for many more reasons. Charles revived a royal tradition by riding on horseback in the first Trooping the Colour, the first time a monarch has ridden since 1986.
© GettyCharles' brother, Prince Edward, also rode in horseback for the first time. Speaking to HELLO! about the big milestone, Lieutenant Colonel James Shaw said: "We're going to see our new Royal Colonel [The Princess Royal] so it's a first there - as well as seeing Her Majesty the Queen and HRH The Princess of Wales all directly on the parade this year. The Duke of Edinburgh will also be riding on the parade for the first time. These firsts make it such an exciting and special event for us all."
