Britain's Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, travel by carriage during the Trooping the Colour ceremony in London, yesterday. Trooping the Colour has honoured the sovereign's official birthday since the 17th century, and dates back to the earliest times of armed conflict when each leader needed his own flag orcolours to stand out clearly amid the smoke and dust of battle, which led to regular trooping allowing soldiers to recognise the colours around which they should rally. - ReutersLONDON (AP):
Soldiers in scarlet tunics and bearskin hats marched in formation yesterday - a showcase of Britain's best pomp and pageantry - to celebrate the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II.
The queen actually turned 81 on April 21. But one of the many perks of wearing the crown is a second, official birthday, marked with the annual Trooping the Colour parade.
The British monarch wore a bright-green coat and hat to inspect the troops gathered in her honour in central London. Dignitaries, including former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, outgoing Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett, also attended the annual event.
The parade is a full-on display of British pageantry, with more than 1,100 soldiers marching down the Mall - the wide, leafy boulevard that runs from Buckingham Palace toward Trafalgar Square - in full regalia.
The queen herself used to ride in the parade, but since 1986, the year her horse retired, she has chosen to ride in a carriage with her husband Prince Philip.
Each year, a regiment is chosen to present its colour, or flag, to the monarch. This year, the regiment was the Number 7 Company Coldstream Guards.
Military flypast
The queen took the salute and inspected the troops on Horse Guards Parade, and then the royal family returned to Buckingham Palace and gathered on the building's famous balcony for a flypast of military aircraft.
The queen was joined on the balcony by many of her family members, including Prince William - who was in military uniform - and Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, the daughters of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York.
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, stood between her stepson Prince William and her husband, Prince Charles. Prince Harry did not attend the annual event, as he is training with his army unit.
