King Charles takes part in his first official birthday parade as monarch

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - Although King Charles III will formally commemorate his 75th birthday on Nov. 14 later this year, he is being honored with an early celebration this weekend during "Trooping the Color", the King's birthday parade.

Traditionally, official commemorations honoring the monarchs' birthdays have frequently taken place on a different date than their actual birth anniversary, especially when their birthday did not coincide with a summer day.

For more than 260 years, Trooping the Color has served as the ceremonial occasion to celebrate the official birthday of the monarch.

This Saturday is considered a significant moment as it is Charles's inaugural appearance at the event as the reigning King.

Charles made a notable entrance, riding on horseback during the parade. This marks the first time in over three decades that a monarch has taken part in Trooping the Color while mounted on a horse.

The late Queen Elizabeth II's final equestrian appearance at the event dates back to 1986, after which she observed the proceedings from a carriage in subsequent years.

The spectacle involves the participation of over 1,400 soldiers parading, accompanied by 200 horses and 400 musicians.

Following the scaled-down display on coronation day due to adverse weather conditions, an extended military flypast will be held after Trooping the Color.

Approximately 70 aircraft from the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force will participate in the flypast, soaring over The Mall and Buckingham Palace in a six-minute showcase.​​​​​​​