Royals watch Red Arrows fly past after touching tribute to Air India crash victims

{“@context”:”https://schema.org”,”@type”:”VideoObject”,”name”:”Metro.co.uk”,”duration”:”T3M25S”,”thumbnailUrl”:”https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/06/14/13/99372777-0-image-a-6_1749903829271.jpg”,”uploadDate”:”2025-06-14T13:21:04+0100″,”description”:”Britain’s King Charles and other senior royals wore black armbands at the ‘Trooping the Colour’ military parade on Saturday as a mark of respect for the victims of the Air India plane crash.nnKing Charles requested the changes ‘as a mark of respect for the lives lost, the families in mourning and all the communities affected by this awful tragedy’, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said.”,”contentUrl”:”https://videos.metro.co.uk/video/met/2025/06/14/2429942991052293670/480x270_MP4_2429942991052293670.mp4″,”height”:270,”width”:480}

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video

Up Next

window.addEventListener(‘metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded’, function(data) {
if (typeof(data.detail) === ‘undefined’ || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === ‘undefined’ || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === ‘undefined’) {
return;
}
var player = data.detail.carousel.el_;
var container = player.closest(‘.metro-video-player’);
var placeholder = container.querySelector(‘.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder’);
container.removeChild(placeholder);
container.classList.add(‘metro-video-player–related-videos-loaded’);
});

The Royal family appeared on the balcony at Buckingham Palace to watch a flypast of the famous Red Arrows during the Trooping the Colour parade.

King Charles and Queen Camilla stood alongside the Prince and Princess of Wales, their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.

Spectators in The Mall cheered as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team – the Red Arrows – flew overhead releasing colourful trails of red, white, and blue smoke.

The colourful display came after the King and Prince William wore a black armband in tribute to those killed in the Air India plane crash at Trooping the Colour today.

Charles’ official birthday was marked with a display of military pomp and pageantry, but at the King’s request, the event acknowledged the aviation disaster that claimed the lives of 241 passengers and crew.

Britain's King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, Prince of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace as part of the Trooping the Colour parade to honour Britain's King Charles on his official birthday in London, Britain, June 14, 2025. REUTERS/Toby Melville — The royals made their famous balcony appearance (Picture: Reuters)

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 14: The Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, perform a flypast over Buckingham Palace after Trooping The Colour 2025 on June 14, 2025 in London, England. The Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team used a mix of approximately 40% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) with conventional jet fuel for propulsion, and renewable Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) for its smoke trails. This is believed to be the first time a national aerobatic team has simultaneously used two eco-friendly fuels. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images) — The Red Arrows put on a spectacular show (Picture: Getty)

The head of state and his wife left Buckingham Palace in a carriage at the head of a procession travelling along The Mall and into Horse Guards Parade, where hundreds of guardsmen were on parade.

The appearance of the Prince and Princess of Wales’ children sparked cheering when they were spotted in a carriage with their mother, Kate.

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis followed the King and Queen, with other coaches carrying the Duchess of Edinburgh, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.

Riding behind the King were the royal colonels wearing black armbands – the Prince of Wales, who is Colonel of the Welsh Guards; the Princess Royal, Colonel of the Blues and Royals; and the Duke of Edinburgh as Colonel of the Scots Guards.

King Charles’ armband was seen as he stood watch (Picture: BBC)

Britain's King Charles III salutes next to Britain's Queen Camilla as they arrive to Horse Guards Parade for the King's Birthday Parade, "Trooping the Colour", in London on June 14, 2025. The ceremony of Trooping the Colour is believed to have first been performed during the reign of King Charles II. Since 1748, the Trooping of the Colour has marked the official birthday of the British Sovereign. Over 1500 parading soldiers and almost 300 horses take part in the event. (Photo by BENJAMIN CREMEL / AFP) (Photo by BENJAMIN CREMEL/AFP via Getty Images) — The King saluted troops while sitting next to Camilla (Picture: AFP)

Latest London news

To get the latest news from the capital visit Metro’s London news hub.

Senior officers taking part in Trooping also wore black armbands as a mark of respect for the aviation victims, as did the coachmen and women from the Royal Mews, driving carriages carrying members of the royal family.

A minute’s silence will be observed after the King has inspected the guardsmen on the parade ground.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said the King had requested amendments to the Trooping the Colour programme ‘as a mark of respect for the lives lost, the families in mourning and all the communities affected by this awful tragedy.’

In 2017, Trooping was held a few days after the Grenfell Tower blaze and the loss of life was marked by a minute’s silence in a decision taken by Queen Elizabeth II.

George, Charlotte and Louis joined other members of the monarchy in the former office of the Duke of Wellington to watch the Trooping the Colour spectacle in honour of their grandfather, the King.

Members of The Royal Family attend Trooping The Colour at Buckingham Palace, London, UK, on the 14th June 2025. Picture by James Whatling — Princess Charlotte and her mum were seen laughign together (Picture: James Whatling)

Kate took her place next to the King and Queen in her role as Colonel of the Irish Guards – a symbolic position and one she was unable to take up last year because she was receiving cancer treatment.

Trooping the Colour is as much a social occasion as a ceremonial celebration of the King’s official birthday, and the stands around Horse Guards Parade were filled with around 8,000 partners and the parents of the guardsmen and officers on parade.

The colour-regimental flag being trooped this year was the King’s Colour of Number 7 Company, Coldstream Guards, also known as the Sovereign’s bodyguard and which is celebrating its 375th anniversary.

The King’s first duty was to inspect the troops, and he was followed by the royal colonels, William, Anne and Edward, as he travelled in a carriage with the Queen, Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, past the servicemen.

The minute’s silence was observed when Charles and Camilla returned to the dais, following an announcement to the spectators and a bugler sounding the Last Post.

Charles, Camilla and Kate stood still looking ahead, and the silence was broken by a helicopter flying overhead, with the moment of reflection ending with the Reveille being played.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Latest London news

Leave a Reply Cancel reply