"Sooner or later, the Royal troops will take over the sea and the mountains, and the thunderstorm will sprout.” Britain is a constitutional monarchy, the Parliament, and Prime Minister hold the real power. However, the Queen, as head of state of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations, not only enjoys symbolic status but also has the legal power to dissolve Parliament and appoint ministers in the government, even if she does not use that power. Despite the disintegration of the British Empire during the decolonisation process after World War II, the Queen, as the monarch of the former empire, has very high honorary status at home and abroad.
The Ceremony of Trooping the Colour has been an annual military celebration since the 18th century when the birthday of King George III was celebrated as a tradition of the British monarch. Trooping the Colour is carried out by each of the regiments of the British monarch's personal forces, which is, the Household Divisions. It also consists of five-Foot Regiments, two Household Cavalry regiments, a Horse Artillery and The King's Troop. Each year the ceremonies are conducted by a different battalion of the regiment, with the 1st Battalion of the Scots Guards in charge in 2021 due to the COVID-19. Inside Windsor Castle the Highland bagpipes were played, Bearskin top hats were worn, and military music was played as they marched forward to pay tribute to the Queen on her official birthday.
Trooping the Colour is held on the first Saturday in June. In the morning, the Queen and members of the Royal Family put on their army and navy uniforms and marched from Buckingham Palace through the Mall to the ground of Horse Guards Parade near Whitehall to inspect the troops. The Queen was greeted by the massed band playing the British national anthem God Save the Queen and the audience rose to pay their tributes to the Queen. The massed band of the Household Divisions will then perform a Slow March and a Quick March. The slow march will feature Les Huguenots March, a tribute to the French Protestants who were persecuted by the Catholic Church in 17th century France, while the quick march is variable.
The drummer sounds the drummer’s call, and the commander gives the order to march off. The 1st Battalion of the Regiment marched forward under the famous military tunes of the British Grenadiers, symbolising their march on Napoleon, the monster of Europe, on the battlefields of Waterloo, and performed the royal salute with 8-bars of the National Anthem. After this part of the ceremony, the 1st Battalion returned to their posts. Afterwards, the whole battalion marched in a slow march past under the marches of Scipio, the Garb of Old Gaul and Figaro. During the Queen's inspection, the 1st Battalion showed the Queen their flag as a token of their respect to Her Majesty the Queen.
After the slow march, it was time for the Quick March. In 2021, the Scots Guards, together with the Grenadier Guards and the Coldstream Guards, marched forward to play Highland Laddie, the British Grenadiers and Milanollo March. These pieces of military music symbolise the cultural background of each regiment and the military traditions behind them. After Household Divisions had completed its march, the cavalry regiments and cavalry artillery marched in, to pay tribute to Her Majesty. Germany and Britain seemed to share the same military tradition, with the Royal Cavalry Band sounding two big drums and playing Prussia’s Glory and Lifeguard March to celebrate the Queen's official birthday.
Finally, the commander asked the Queen for permission to complete the ceremony and to march off from the ground, the permission then was granted by Her Majesty. The Queen left the parade ground, escorted by the Household Divisions. Her Majesty returned to Buckingham Palace through the Mall, where she was cheered and greeted on the balcony by the British people and those who admire her glories.
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