King and Queen cheered by crowds at Trooping the Colour

Crowds cheered as King Charles and Queen Camilla attended the Trooping the Colour parade to mark the monarch's official birthday.

The royal couple rode in a carriage in the military procession along the Mall and into Horse Guards Parade where the King reviewed guardsmen on parade.

They were joined by members of the Royal Family, including the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children.

The occasion was full of the traditional pageantry but, at the King's request, there were marks of respect to remember the victims of the Air India crash, with the Royal Family in the parade wearing black armbands.

The disaster killed 241 passengers and crew, including more than 50 Britons, as well as at least eight people who were on the ground when the aircraft came down.

This year's relaxed ceremony had a very different feel compared to last year - and not just because it was sunshine rather than lashing rain.

At Trooping the Colour in 2024 there had been feverish interest in Catherine's return to public life, in what was her first public appearance since her cancer diagnosis.

This year she could be seen smiling alongside her children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and seven-year-old Prince Louis - who gave a gap-toothed grin in a carriage alongside his brother.

The King, who is still undergoing his own treatment for cancer, rode in the carriage for the second year running rather than riding on horseback.

This was a ceremony celebrating the King's birthday. Although King Charles's actual birthday is 14 November, monarchs historically have had an "official" birthday for public events such as this, held in the summer in the hope of better weather.

Along with the crowds of well-wishers and tourists, there was also a protest by anti-monarchists, who chanted and waved Not My King flags.

The event, which saw 1,350 troops taking part in the King's Birthday Parade, had its traditional finale with the Royal Family on the Buckingham Palace balcony watching a flypast.

This year the Red Arrows went green, as they used a more environmentally friendly blend of fuel, including sustainable aviation fuel and a biofuel for the trademark vapour trail.

That will have pleased the King, an environmental champion, who has been encouraging the use of sustainable aviation fuel where possible on royal flights and wants to promote its wider use.

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