Her Majesty the Queen takes the salute on her official birthday at Horse Guards Parade. More than 1,000 officers, guardsmen and musicians of the Household Division parade before their Sovereign and Colonel-in-Chief. Her Majesty is accompanied by HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, Colonel Grenadier Guards; HRH the Prince of Wales, Colonel, Welsh Guards; HRH the Duke of Kent, Colonel Scots Guards; and HRH the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Colonel Irish Guards. This year, the 2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards, formed in 1684, troop the Queen's Colour for the last time before going into suspended animation at the end of the year, following defence cuts.
The parade is in five parts: The Inspection of the Line; The Troop; Trooping the Colour through the Ranks; The March Past and The Rank Past. Music by the Massed Bands of the Guards and the Mounted Bands of the Household Cavalry.
Julian Tutt describes the scene. Director Stephen Morris Producer Ian Smith
(Highlights at 7.05pm on BBC2)