THE ASSOCIATION

The Grenadier Guards Association aims to keep alive the comradeship formed in military service and provide welfare for our Grenadier ex-servicemen and widows.

THE REGIMENT

The Regiment was formed in 1656 and is the senior regiment of Foot Guards, an infantry regiment that conducts frontline and ceremonial soldiering.

THE DIVISION

The Household Division is formed from the Life Guards, The Blues & Royals, the Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish and Welsh Guards.

VIRTUAL GRENADIERS

Several reunions, get-togethers, Facebook Groups, breakfast clubs, and other activities have made their mark on Social Media platforms in recent years.  Collectively, these events and groups are referred to as Virtual Grenadiers as they operate in the virtual world of the Internet.

SCHEDULE – CHANGING THE GUARD

If you want to find out what dates, times, Regiments, and musical support will be involved in the Changing the Guard ceremonies at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle over the forthcoming months, take a look at the calendar.

TROOPING THE COLOUR (2023) – THE KING’S BIRTHDAY PARADE

Huw Edwards, from the BBC, introduces live coverage of King Charles III’s first official birthday parade as the new Monarch of the United Kingdom.

Trooping the Colour is an annual ceremonial event performed on Horse Guards Parade in London, by regiments of the Household Division, to celebrate the official birthday of the British sovereign.

Over 1400 Officers and men are on parade, together with two hundred horses; over four hundred musicians from ten bands and Corps of Drums march and play as one. Some 113 words of command are given by the Officer in Command of the Parade.

The parade route extends from Buckingham Palace along The Mall to Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall and back again.

Video length 21 minutes 39 seconds
(All credit to the BBC and YouTube)

During the ceremony, The King is greeted by a Royal salute and carries out an inspection of the troops. After the massed bands have performed a musical ‘troop’, the escorted Regimental Colour is carried down the ranks.The Foot Guards and the Household Cavalry then march past His Majesty, and The King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, rank past. The King rides back to Buckingham Palace at the head of his Guards, before taking the salute at the Palace from a dais. The troops then return to barracks.

The morning’s events culminated with the appearance of members of the Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.  It was the turn of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards to troop their Colour in this annual display of pageantry and music in June 2023.

Air date: Saturday 17 June 2023