The Trooping the Colour is a British military pageant . It was first performed under Charles II of England. Its original purpose was to display a regiment's colours to the regiment's soldiers. Since 1748, the ceremony has been performed annually in London (except in 1955, due to a rail strike), in celebration of the monarch's birthday.

At the 1981 Trooping the Colour ceremony on 13 June, a teenager fired six blank shots at Queen Elizabeth II .

External link

• Order of the Trooping the Colour
• Information about the Trooping the Colour from the UK Army homepage
• Photo of a soldier from 2004 Trooping the Colour (photo by andersja)