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orywireTrooping the Colour 2026 takes place in London on Saturday 13 June, with official event guidance listing the King’s Birthday Parade start at 10.30am BST and the RAF flypast at 1pm. Where to stand in London and what to check before travelling.
Trooping the Colour 2026 takes place in London on Saturday 13 June, with official event guidance saying the King’s Birthday Parade starts at 10.30am BST and finishes at about 12.25pm BST. The RAF flypast is scheduled for 1pm BST and can be watched from The Mall.
The Household Division calendar also displays 10am for the King’s Birthday Parade listing. Because the event guidance says visitors should be seated by 10.30am and that Whitehall Gate closes at 10am, anyone attending should aim to be in position well before 10am rather than treating 10.30am as an arrival time.
The ceremony is held at Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall. The Household Division describes the parade route as running from Buckingham Palace along The Mall to Horse Guards Parade and back again.
The Royal Household says Trooping the Colour moves from Buckingham Palace down The Mall to Horse Guards Parade, with members of the Royal Family on horseback and in carriages. After the parade, the Royal Family traditionally appears on the Buckingham Palace balcony for the RAF flypast.
This year, the King’s Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, is listed to troop its Colour in the presence of the King. The official event page says more than 1,350 soldiers, including Household Division soldiers and the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, are expected to take part with more than 300 musicians.
Ticketed seats at Horse Guards Parade are handled through the official ballot and booking site. The event page was showing the ballot closed and sold out during the latest check, so spectators without tickets should plan for public viewing areas.
The official guidance says a limited view can be obtained by standing on The Mall or on the edge of St James’s Park overlooking Horse Guards Parade from 9am. It also warns that views from those positions may be obscured by troops on parade.
The Mall is also the confirmed public viewing point for the 1pm RAF flypast. Crowds are expected around Buckingham Palace, The Mall, Horse Guards Parade and St James’s Park, so arriving early is the safest plan.
The official event guidance says central London is expected to be extremely busy on the day and advises people to plan their route in advance. It lists Charing Cross, Waterloo and Victoria as the nearest railway stations, with Westminster, Embankment, Charing Cross, St James’s Park and Victoria among the nearest Underground stations.
There will be no parking or dropping-off facilities in Whitehall or the area around Horse Guards Parade, and vehicles will not be allowed within those areas. Ticketed spectators should allow at least 50 minutes to clear security.
Visitors are advised to keep bags and bulky items to a minimum. The guidance says cameras are allowed for private use, but flash should not be used because of the horses. It also says water may be brought in a clear bottle, while drones cannot legally be used around Horse Guards, the surrounding parks or central London.
The parade is unlikely to be cancelled because of bad weather, according to the event guidance, although organisers say cancellation cannot be ruled out in severe conditions such as thunder and lightning.
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