Members of the royal family, including Queen Elizabeth, and Prince Philip stood on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony on Horseguards Parade in central London.
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The colour of Number 7 Company Coldstream Guards was paraded past the troops, an ancient tradition thought to originate from the practice of marching banners past soldiers so they could identify the flag they were fighting under. The event is expected to draw throngs of Britons and visitors to Buckingham Palace for a possible balcony appearance by the senior royals.
A procession of dancers and marching bands entertained them with a carnival parade that was staged again for the Queen when she arrived and she watched from a royal box with her family.
On Twitter, some compared it to the colour of Kermit the Frog from Jim Henson’s TV comedy “The Muppet Show”.
Born in the same year as the Queen, she received a ticket to the festivities through the charity Friends of the Elderly.
Kate looked chic in an Alexander McQueen coat, and held her daughter, who wore a pale pink dress that matched the rose in her mother’s hat. Thousands of people flocked to see the spectacle.
During George II’s reign it was ordered in 1748 that the ceremony of Trooping the Colour should mark the official birthday of the sovereign.
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II returns to Buckingham Palace along the Mall after watching the Queen’s Birthday Parade, “Trooping the Colour”, in London on June 11, 2016.
The queen herself was honoured earlier on Friday at a National Service of Thanksgiving at London’s St Paul’s Cathedral, attended by dignitaries including Prime Minister David Cameron and all the senior royals.
The parade is just one part of the weekend celebrations honoring the Queen, who turned 90 in April.
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Even Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country has frosty relations with Britain, sent a message of congratulations to the queen.
