With Trooping the Colour being last Saturday, in the Queen’s Birthday long weekend, I could hardly fail to include a video of it in the year of the Queen’s 90th birthday. I’ve always enjoyed watching it over the years. In the early years of her reign the Queen rode in uniform, sidesaddle, in the parade. In later years, after the death of her horse Winston, she rode in a what I call a small horse drawn buggy. But with the Duke no longer riding a horse in the parade, he has joined the Queen in a larger carriage. In my early years I used to enjoy it all for the pomp and ceremony and the marching bands and music (but where have all the bagpipes and pipe bands gone). But these days I tend to look at it all with a bit of thought about those taking part, and wondering how it might all feel for them. Perhaps a serious ceremony, or maybe a fun day’s outing – or “oh no, not that ordeal again.”
The original HD video I embedded here is no longer available on YouTube because of copyright reasons.
I hope you are pre-planning this many celebrations events for your 90th year John.
My two major regrets during my three London visits was not putting aside the time to see 1) Phantom of the Opera with Michael Crawford & Sarah Brightman; 2) Trooping the Colour, which I did see the Horse Guards going (or returning) from their Barracks as we went past in a Tour Bus one day!?
Cheers, Ralph
Hi Ralph,
I have to make my 80th first, and then last another 10 years after that. It always saddens me that Colin Oliver was thrilled about his 80th that he had a celebration in Adelaide and Melbourne, and he looked so well; but he was gone within a year or two later and was buried on my 70th birthday.
Everyone to their own, but for me, I wouldn’t have any regrets about not seeing Phantom of the Opera. I like the music, but I didn’t really like the story when I saw the film.
Cheers,
John