King Charles and Princess Anne present Sovereign Standard to army ahead of Trooping the Colour

The King was accompanied by his sister, Princess Anne, on a rare joint engagement at Buckingham Palace today.

The siblings were together as he presented the new Sovereign’s Standard to The Blues and Royals squadron (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons) of the Household Cavalry, of which Anne is Colonel.

Charles spoke of his ‘great pride’ in the bond between the Blues and Royals and the monarch, as the country continues to face ‘an array of threats’ and ‘difficult times’.

Arriving just after 2pm to a trumpet fanfare, the king, wearing the uniform of Field Marshal with Field Marshal baton, and Anne, wearing her uniform of the Blues and Royals colonel which she also wore to last month’s coronation, stood on a dais as 35 soldiers and 27 horses formed up on the Quadrangle for the presentation of the new Standard.

The new standard, made of silk damask with gold embroidery which bears the Royal Arms and the regiment’s battle honours, was then consecrated by the Chaplain General Padre Tom Sander and Padre Ian Rogers, before being presented by the King, who briefly touched it the Standard. 

Charles then presented the Standard to Major Peter Ireland, the squadron commander of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment.

Charles, 74, then made a short speech from the dais, recalling the squadron’s long links with the monarch, and praising its soldiers’ unique dual operational and ceremonial roles.

He said: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, it is a matter of great pride to be here with you today to present your New Standard which, in itself, represents that personal bond between The Blues and Royals and the Sovereign that has lasted since before the Restoration in 1661.

‘Your Standard, once the physical rallying point for your forebears, is the golden thread which connects you to your illustrious past.

‘The battle honours displayed upon it, along with your uniforms and medals that are so visible in your ceremonial role are a further demonstration of your proven track record as battle-hardened mounted and dismounted soldiers with recent operational experience.

‘Indeed, I know that some of you are currently deployed on duty with the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus. Such history pays homage to your dual role, and that of course is the fundamental principle which makes State Ceremonial and Public Duties so special and credible to a most grateful nation.

‘In these difficult times for our country, as we continue to face an array of threats in many different forms, both domestically and internationally, it is all the more important to preserve such standards of excellence and achievement.

‘As your Colonel-in-Chief, I know that your Colonel, The Princess Royal, joins me in thanking you all for your unlimited commitment and service, as well as your families for their tremendous and unwavering support, some of whom I am delighted to see are able to join us today. I commend this Standard to your safe-keeping as a source of pride and inspiration to all of you – wherever you may be – in the service of your country.’

The standard was then given to the Sovereign’s Escort mounted troop, which marched past Charles and Anne to offer a second royal salute. 

After the short ceremony, Charles and Anne spent several minutes meeting with some of the 75 guests who attended in the quadrangle, including past and present members of the Household Cavalry and friends and family of those on parade. 

The guests also include Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles, Queen Camilla’s ex-husband, a former Commanding Officer of the Household Cavalry.

The service usually takes place every decade and the squadron was last presented their Standard by Queen Elizabeth II in May 2014. 

The hand-crafted Blues and Royals standard has been made by the family business Wyedean in Haworth, West Yorkshire. 

The newly consecrated standard will be on parade at the King’s first Birthday Parade, Trooping the Colour, on Saturday.

Its managing director, Robin Wright, said: ‘The true honour we feel to be creating such historic and symbolic regimental standards and colours is absolutely incredible. It really is a business high for us all. 

Typically, regimental standards and colours are renewed every 10-12 years but following the passing of the late Queen, all military regalia requires updating with King Charles III’s insignia and the Tudor crown. 

As it takes three of our skilled people one year to create just four colours, there are thousands of hours of craftmanship from appliqué ornamental needlework to hand embroidery needed to complete the high standard of elaborate fabrics ready to present to the armed forces in the years ahead.’

Around 70 aircraft from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force will take part in a flypast for Trooping the Colour on Saturday, marking the first birthday flypast for Charles. 

However, the extended military flypast may be scaled down due to bad weather. 

The King, Queen and other members of the royal family are expected to watch as the aircraft fly over The Mall and Buckingham Palace in a six-minute display.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the aircraft will take off from 15 locations up and down the UK before meeting in the south-east of England and flying across London.

The event will feature a mix of aircraft, ranging from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight dating back to the 1940s and the C-130 Hercules on its final ceremonial flight to multiple Typhoon fighter jets and the Envoy IV CC1, which is making its flypast debut.

At the front of the flypast will be a Juno HT1 piloted by Flight Lieutenant Tom Knapp from 60 Squadron, No 1 Flying Training School based at RAF Shawbury.

The event will end in a show of red, white and blue from the pilots of the Red Arrows.

The MoD said many of the aircraft taking part in the flypast have been involved in operations around the world this year, including the Nato air policing mission in Eastern Europe and the evacuation of British citizens from Sudan.

Charles will be joined on Saturday by the Queen and members of the royal family to view the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards Troop their Colour. 

The annual event of Trooping the Colour has marked the official birthday of the sovereign for more than 260 years.

More than 60 aircraft from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force had been due to take part in the coronation flypast in May but ‘unsuitable weather conditions’ saw that plan abandoned.

Instead, helicopters from the three services and the Red Arrows took part in the display, which lasted for around two and a half minutes.

Footage from Royal Navy helicopters showed how poor the weather was in the skies above London.

Rain streaked the windshields of the aircraft as they flew low over the heart of the capital.

The MoD said the birthday flypast has been increased in size to pay tribute to the new monarch.

Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton, said: ‘We are very proud to be able to showcase our capabilities to our Commander-in-Chief, on this historic occasion for his majesty the King.

‘We have planned a fitting and appropriate tribute for our monarch, that should be a true spectacle for the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.’

Air Officer Commanding 1 Group, Air Vice-Marshal Mark Flewin, said: ‘It is a great honour to be part of his majesty the King’s birthday celebrations, where the flypast is an opportunity for us to showcase formation, precision and excellence in the air to our Commander-in-Chief on such a special occasion.’

Earlier today, King Charles attended a service of thanksgiving for the 650th anniversary of the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance with President of Portugal Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa de Araujo at The Queen’s Chapel in London.

The agreement – made by King Richard II of England and King John I of Portugal in My 1386 – is the oldest diplomatic alliance in the world still in force.