Royal Trail -The Queen's Birthday 2005

This article contains shots taken on our London trip in June last year (2005). Honestly, we stumbled upon the 'Trooping of the Colours' ceremony (An Annual Celebration of Her Majesty's Birthday) by chance. We had not planned to witness it initially as our itinerary was quite packed and we had a train to catch to Nottingham that Saturday morning. But when we knew that it was taking place on that day, we made some changes to our plans and took a short detour to the parade. Well, we looked ridiculous as we lugged our ... (more)

The Union Jack
There was a time when this flag flew over Singapore. But wherever it...

Buckingham Palace
In full frontal view. Dave had to risk being reprimanded by the police as he...

Keeping a Watchful Eye
In this day and age, one can never take a joyous occasion for granted....

All the Queen's Horses...
...and all the Queen's men parading down The Mall as they have...

Back Against Bobby
Another 'Bobby' turning his back on the procession to ensure...

Queen Victoria's Memorial
Since 1911, the Queen Victoria's memorial has been...

Drum Major...
...in full regalia.

Striking up the Band
After waiting and jostling with the crowd for nearly an hour, there's...

In Unison -1
The band, marching and playing in unison. Impressive!

Smart and Neat
Smartly attired and neatly groomed, some of the Parade contingent members...

Hawkish Glare ...
...and no less from a nearby Bobby to ensure that the crowd is under control.

Beast and Man Alike
Her Majesty's Horse Guards on attention.

Toy soldiers?...No!
We got more than we bargained for on this trip. Not only did we see the...

...and the band came marchin' in...
and in comes the Brass section!

In Unison - 2
Check out how neat their formation is. They are, after all, the Queen's...

The WHOLE Band
...and not one drum less. When the Queen is going to be present, so...

Horse Guards
Her Majesty's Horse Guards in full regalia. These black beauties...

Enter Her Majesty's Horse Guard

Her Majesty's Horse Guards...
...up close. Knights in shining armour indeed!

On Duty...
...for Her Majesty

Black...
...will do just as well. Another one of Her Majesty's Horse Guardsmen up...

In full military gear
Her Majesty's infantry in full military gear.

Marching to the same Beat
Providing the 'heartbeat' for the entire procession, drummers...

Scottish Regiment 2
The bag pipers putting their personal touch to the whole regal and...

The Pipe Pipers...
One of my favourite instruments - the Piccolo. Small but shrill,...

Odd-one-out
Its a lonely job but someone's gotta do it - a small price to pay...

The Original Royal Couple
The Queen then emerges with the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Phillip. Her...

The Sovereign
This is such a bonus! We never dreamt we could see the Queen in our...

Prince William!
Bonus of bonuses! - Prince William went right before our eyes in a horsedrawn...

Camelia!
Our luck just got better - Today happens to be Camelia's first public...

Queen's Guard
Smart in decorum and handsome in spirit.

Time-off and chillin...
Two guards at ease in-between the event. Chatting.

On Her Majesty's Service
Serving Her Majesty and Her people. Insignia of London's...

Happy to be of service.
This 'Bobby' was near us making sure none of us breach his cordon....

A joyous day for all
His smile says it all...I'm proud to be part of this ceremony...

article published 03/26/2006

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nice photos! captures the mood of the moment. will be looking forward to such sights when i visit in june (:
— isaiah, April 22, 2006

Your photos were wonderful!!! What great memories. Thanks so much for sharing!!
— TZMom (From TripAdvisor), March 27, 2006

These are fabulous photos. I especially like how you captured Sophie, Camilla, and Prince William all in the same shot!
— Off-to-London (From TripAdvisor), March 27, 2006

Very nice photos, especially the Trooping of the Colours. And what great weather you had in London.
— LeeB, March 27, 2006

Fabulous pictures of Trooping the Colour. I knew when I saw the beautiful flag-and-blue-sky picture with the perfectly balanced backlight compensation that I was in for a treat. Those pictures were a real delight. I especially liked the detail shots. I will definitely look at the Windsor photos when I have more time. Thank you so much for posting these.
— Britfan (From TripAdvisor), March 27, 2006

Good to see
... your postings again! Very interesting article on the changing of the guards. Beautiful & well taken pictures.

Cheers
— soh gt, March 26, 2006

Great pictures. Great article. My wife and I witnessed the changing of the guard during a trip to London in 1977, so we are familiar with jostling.
— Fred Smith, March 26, 2006

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