King Charles is about to break a major royal protocol

Celebrations are underway across the country today (14 June) as King Charles III is set to mark his ‘official’ birthday with the annual Trooping the Colour.

For those who don’t know, technically the King actually has two birthdays, with his real one falling on 14 November.

The summer bash is the monarch’s ‘official’ birthday parade that takes place in June due to the warmer weather - lucky for some!

Over 1,400 parading soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians come together each year for the big London celebration.

However, this year, it’s going to look a little different as one major royal protocol is set to be broken by the King.

This year's Trooping The Colour will, like last year, see the King make a different entrance (Chris Jackson / Getty Images)

He is swapping the horseback ride for a carriage arrival this year, after last riding in the parade as a monarch back in 2023.

Two years ago, he became the first monarch in more than 30 years to take part in Trooping the Colour on horseback, since Queen Elizabeth II did it back in 1986.

After her trusted horse retired, the late Queen then opted for a carriage from 1987 until her final appearance in 2022, where she gave her salute from Buckingham Palace's balcony.

But despite briefly reviving the tradition, and also previously riding to celebrate his mother's birthday when she was monarch, last year he had to let it go again following his cancer diagnosis in February 2024.

And this year will be the same, with King Charles riding in a carriage with Queen Camilla for the procession from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade, reports The Sunday Times.

Reportedly, Prince William, Princess Anne, and Prince Edward will instead be joining the procession on horseback.

The King will be arriving in a carriage with Queen Camilla rather than on horseback (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Royal family fanatics will remember that King Charles bent the rules at last year’s Trooping The Colour in a very sweet way.

The announcement that the King and his 43-year-old daughter-in-law Kate Middleton were both diagnosed with cancer came just over a month apart.

While waving to the gathered crowd on the famous balcony, the UK’s ruler reportedly asked his Kate to stand with him.

OK! Magazine reported that during the event, Kate leaned in and ‘whispered’ to her father-in-law, causing him to chuckle before the English national anthem, ‘God Save the King’, was performed.

In an interview with the publication, former royal butler Grant Harrold confirmed this was a move that differed from the norm.

“It is changing protocol to show the King and Kate united with each other and going through similar battles, so I would say this is down to the King’s preference,” he said, speaking of the pair’s respective cancer journeys.

Harrold added that King Charles may have said to Kate himself: “You stand next to me.”