King Charles won’t participate in royal tradition at Trooping the Colour: Reports
Sierra Campbell
(NewsNation) — King Charles will not be participating in one of the long-standing royal family traditions at Trooping the Colour, according to reports.
Charles, 76, will not be riding a horse during the celebration and will ride in a carriage with his wife, Queen Camilla, instead. Charles also couldn’t ride horseback in 2024 following his ongoing treatment for cancer.
Trooping the Colour happens on June 14 each year, with musicians, horses and parading soldiers taking part. Royal family members also join in on the fun, riding horseback and being in horse-drawn carriages.
The late Queen Elizabeth stopped riding horseback during the 1986 Trooping the Colour, opting for the carriage. Charles was only able to ride in the saddle once as king in 2023. But now, his health issues have likely put the tradition behind him forever.
As GB News reported, Charles used to be a polo player and amateur jockey when he was a child. However, he was reportedly forced to quit his hobby due to numerous injuries.
King Charles continuing royal duties despite cancer treatment
Even though King Charles has been diagnosed with a type of cancer that has not been disclosed, he is still completing most royal duties. Senior aides reportedly said that Charles is “managing” the cancer and living “as normal as possible.”
CAMBERLEY, ENGLAND – APRIL 14: King Charles III inspects the 200th Sovereign’s parade at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on April 14, 2023 in Camberley, England. The parade marks the end of 44 weeks of training for 171 Officer Cadets. It is the first time King Charles III has inspected Sovereign’s Parade at Sandhurst since becoming Monarch. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
One senior aide said, “The thing you learn about this illness [cancer] is that you just manage it. And that’s what he does.” The aide also said that Charles is “incredibly fit.”
“Medical science has made incredible advances, and I genuinely see no difference in him,” a senior aide explained.
Who will attend Trooping the Colour?
Along with the king and queen, Prince William, Princess Kate, and their three children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — will be in attendance.
Prince Edward, Charles’ brother, should also be at the event with his wife, Duchess Sophie. It is not known if their children, Lady Louise and James, will be with them. Princess Anne is also set to be there with her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex departs after attending a Court of Appeal hearing regarding his security at the Royal Courts of Justice on April 8, 2025 in London, England. Prince Harry is appealing a previous High Court ruling based on a decision made by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (RAVEC) to downgrade the level of security he receives whilst visiting the UK after stepping back from being a full time working member of the royal family. (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – DECEMBER 19: (L-R) Queen Mathilde of Belgium, Prince Emmanuel of Belgium and Princess Elisabeth of Belgium host a reception for one hundred members of the public during the festive season at the Royal Palace on December 19, 2023 in Brussels, Belgium. (Photo by Geert Vanden Wijngaert/Getty Images)
Britain’s King Charles, from left, Queen Camilla, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney and his wife Diana Fox Carney pose for a family portrait at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, Ontario, during a royal visit May 26. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)
FILE – The Princess of Wales holds son Prince Harry while royal families posed for photographers at the Royal Palace, Mallorca, Spain, Aug. 9, 1987. (AP Photo/John Redman, File)
From left, Britain’s Prince George, Prince William, Prince Louis, Kate, Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte, King Charles III, Queen Camilla and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to view the flypast following the Trooping the Color ceremony in London, Saturday, June 15, 2024. Trooping the Color is the King’s Birthday Parade and one of the nation’s most impressive and iconic annual events attended by almost every member of the Royal Family. (James Manning/PA via AP)
FILE – Britain’s Prince Harry leaves after attending an Invictus Games Foundation 10th Anniversary Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, on May 8, 2024. Prince Harry said that his crusade against the British tabloids has contributed to his royal family rift, according to a documentary airing Thursday July 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)
FILE – Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla wave to the crowds from the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the coronation ceremony in London, May 6, 2023. When it comes to the United Kingdom’s royal family, the Americans can’t seem to get enough. That was evident this week, following the announcement of King Charles III’s treatment for cancer on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)
In this photo made available by Buckingham Palace on Monday, May 8, 2023, Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla are pictured with members of the working royal family, from left Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester, Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, Princess Anne, Prince William, the Prince of Wales, Kate, the Princess of Wales, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, Princess Alexandra, the Hon. Lady Ogilvy and Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace, London. (Hugo Burnand/Royal Household 2023 via AP)
Copies of the new book by Prince Harry called “Spare” are displayed at Sherman’s book store in Freeport, Maine, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. Prince Harry’s memoir provides a varied portrait of the Duke of Sussex and the royal family. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
FILE – Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II waves to the crowd during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant at the Buckingham Palace in London, June 5, 2022, on the last of four days of celebrations to mark the Platinum Jubilee. Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September 2022 was arguably the most high-profile death this year. In her 70 years on the British throne, she helped modernize the monarchy across decades of enormous social change, royal marriages and births, and family scandals. For most Britons, she was the only monarch they had ever known. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, Pool)
Britain’s Princess Anne, Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, and Zara Tindall join other members of the Royal family on a walkabout to thank members of the public following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday, at Balmoral, Scotland, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022. (Owen Humphreys/Pool Photo via AP)
FILE – In this Monday, Nov. 2, 1987 file photo, Britain’s Diana, the Princess of Wales, is pictured during an evening reception given by the West German President Richard von Weizsacker in honour of the British Royal guests in the Godesberg Redoute in Bonn, Germany. For someone who began her life in the spotlight as “Shy Di,” Princess Diana became an unlikely, revolutionary during her years in the House of Windsor. She helped modernize the monarchy by making it more personal, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public — kneeling to the level of children, sitting on edge of a patient’s hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans — she set an example that has been followed by other royals as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century. (AP Photo/Herman Knippertz, File)
FILE – In this file photo dated Thursday, June, 19, 2014, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, and Prince Philip arrive by carriage in the parade ring on the third day of the Royal Ascot horse racing meeting, at Ascot, England. In the TV program ‘Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers’ released late Saturday Sept. 18, 2021, members of the royal family have spoken admiringly of the late Duke of Edinburgh’s barbecuing skills. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, FILE)
FILE – In this July 29, 1981 file photo, Britain’s Prince Charles kisses his bride, Princess Diana, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London, after their wedding.For someone who began her life in the spotlight as “Shy Di,” Princess Diana became an unlikely, revolutionary during her years in the House of Windsor. She helped modernize the monarchy by making it more personal, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public — kneeling to the level of children, sitting on edge of a patient’s hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans — she set an example that has been followed by other royals as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century. (AP Photo/File)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 10: (L-R) Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge watch the RAF flypast on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, as members of the Royal Family attend events to mark the centenary of the RAF on July 10, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Chris Jackson/Getty Images) (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
FILE – In this Monday, March 9, 2020 file photo, Britain’s Harry and Meghan the Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrive to attend the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in London. Prince Harry has repaid 2.4 million pounds ($3.2 million) in British taxpayers’ money that was used to renovate the home intended for him and his wife Meghan before they gave up royal duties. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, file)
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Other senior royals who should be in attendance include the Duke of Kent, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
Queen Elizabeth used to invite the entire royal family, specifically to join her on the balcony at Buckingham Palace, but that changed in 2022. That is when the queen decided to only invite working members to the balcony; however, all royals are still invited to the overall event.
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, will not be in attendance at the event, presumably because of the current rift between Harry and Charles. One insider recently told NewsNation’s Paula Froelich that Prince Harry “doesn’t really have any friends” in Montecito and is “very lonely.”
