Buckingham Palace lifts the curtain on King's birthday parade with rare pictures

The Royal Family has delighted fans with a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse of this year's Trooping the Colour celebrations, sharing a series of candid photographs on Instagram with the caption: "Behind-the-scenes at Buckingham Palace yesterday for The King’s Birthday Parade."

Among the standout images was what many royal watchers will recognise as one of King Charles's favourite traditions - feeding carrots to the royal horses. 

The touching first photograph captured the monarch enjoying a quiet moment with feeding the animals ahead of the grand celebrations.

Another image showed Queen Camilla beaming beside King Charles in a striking red dress, while a third photograph featured the ever-elegant Duchess of Edinburgh. 

Sophie looked radiant in an off-white belted dress with a sharp collar, paired with a matching white hat adorned with floral detailing. 

Standing alongside her was Princess Anne's husband, Sir Timothy Laurence, who joined the royal family for the special occasion.

The collection also included a photograph of King Charles walking through Buckingham Palace, as well as a powerful image of Princess Anne in full military uniform carrying a sword. 

The Princess Royal once again took part in the ceremony on horseback in her role as a royal colonel.

Two further photographs highlighted the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester attending Trooping the Colour at Buckingham Palace on June 13, 2026, before the final image showed King Charles and Queen Camilla stepping out for the historic celebration.

Crowds gathered in central London for the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony marking King Charles III's official birthday. 

The parade began at Buckingham Palace, with the King and Queen travelling by carriage along The Mall to Horse Guards Parade.