June, 2012~Trooping the Colour~celebrating the Queen's official birthday

The official birthday of the Queen is celebrated every year in June. (Her real birthday is April 21).  The event is called  "Trooping the Colour."  The tradition of Trooping the Colour goes back to the time of Charles II, when the colours of the regiment were used as a rallying point in battle and were trooped in front of the soldiers  to make sure that every man could recognize those of his own regiment.  In 1748, the first mention of the Trooping the Colour was ordered to mark the King's Birthday.  It became an annual event when George IV became king and with the exception of the two World Wars, it's been held every year.   It's carried out by the Queen's personal troops, the Household Division, on Horse Guards Parade, with the Queen attending and taking the salute.  Over 1400 officers take part along with two hundred horses; four hundred musicians from ten bands and drum corps march and play.     

The actual Trooping the Colour takes place at Horse Guards Parade but before and after that ceremony, it's quite an event to watch the procession on the Mall.  The Mall is lined with people anxious for a glimpse of the Royal Family as they make their way from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade and then back to the palace for the fly over by the Royal Air Force.

The Mall before the procession, looking down toward Buckingham Palace

   

hundreds of the Queen's troops take part in the festivities

This person is from the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery

My favorite divisions of the Queen's personal guard are the mounted bands of the Household Calvary.  You can see from this picture that they loop the reins over their arms while playing their instrument with both hands.   I guess to stop the horse, you pull your left arm back.   

 The clarinets also have the reins looped through their arm.  I can't imagine the balance that is needed to play an instrument and ride a horse!






    

At least when you play a trumpet, you can play with one hand and hold the reins with the other hand.

As the parade progresses, more horses, riders, bands and Household Division troops make their way down the Mall  along with the carriages of the Royal Family.

The bands of The Household Calvary wear gold coats designed at the time of King Charles II

Prince William and Prince Charles always ride their horses in the parade, so Kate and Camilla ride in the carriage with Prince Harry.  This is a picture of them leaving the palace to go to Horse Guards Parade for Trooping the Colour Ceremony. 

After the ceremony, the parade comes back to the palace and the Queen's guards go past the Queen  as she salutes them once more.    

 Princess Anne is on the black horse and Prince William, 

Prince Charles and the Duke of Kent always ride in the parade

 At the end of the parade, the Royal Family comes out onto the balcony and the police open the barriers for the crowd to walk (or run) to the front of the palace.

The Royal Air Force flies over the palace for a final salute to the Queen.

Impressions of Althorp

On a beautiful summer day last June, I had the opportunity to visit Althorp, the country manor home of the Spencer family, Princess Diana and the place where she is buried. Althorp dates from 1508 and is part of a 13,000 acre estate. The day included lunch in the Picture Gallery and participation in Charles Spencer's annual literary festival.  We also had time to walk around the estate and see a glimpse of the life of this historic family. 

View of manor house from the back

When we arrived, we were led up to the Picture Gallery where our luncheon was held.  Charles Spencer was sponsoring the literary event which was held in various rooms around the house.  Charles was a former NBC news correspondent and Diana's brother. Since he was the oldest male heir, he inherited the estate from his father, the Eighth Earl of Spencer and Princess Diana's father.  Charles Spencer was 27 when his father died and he inherited the estate.  He is working to maintain and  preserve Althorp.  It's very common for estates to host a variety of events to raise money to help preserve the estate for future generations.

Charles Spencer greeting us in the Picture Gallery

The Picture Gallery seats two hundred for dinner and houses sixty portraits

which include ten of Charles II's mistresses, known as 'The Windsor Beauties.'

The Spencer Gallery overlooking the Saloon

After lunch, we attended different sessions of the literary festival.  I was interested in learning more about the Spencer family history, so I attended a talk given by Charles Spencer about the history of his family and Althorp.  

back of the stables

Before we headed back to London, we walked around the grounds of the Althorp estate.  The grounds were stunning, with the stables a prominant building near the house.  They are now used as a gift shop and cafe for visitors. Until the early 20th century, the stables were home to one hundred horses and up to  forty grooms!

front of the stables

There were lovely gardens all around the stables.   The garden around the house was orginally designed in 1860.

There are plenty of sheep to make a picture perfect scene of the English countryside.  

As you walk back behind the house, you follow a path which ends at a pond.  In the middle of the pond is an island.  You can see the monument that is mostly overgrown now but this is where Princess Diana is buried.   It's very peaceful and a beautiful setting. 

Our day concluded with a scenic bus ride back to London and a deeper appreciation of what is involved in owning and managing an English country manor house.