Trooping the Colour 2016 began for me with a view from the stands at Horse Guards Parade. This film records the Colonel’s Review on 4 June, the final full dress rehearsal before Queen Elizabeth II’s Birthday Parade. Foot Guards, military bands, horse-drawn guns and mounted cavalry filled the parade ground with colour and carefully timed movement.
From the Roberts London archive: this film was published on 7 June 2016. The rehearsal shown took place on 4 June, one week before the Queen’s Birthday Parade on 11 June.
The Colonel’s Review at Horse Guards Parade
The Colonel’s Review offered a preview of the ceremony to come. In my original film description, I set out the three dates in the 2016 programme: the Major General’s Review on 28 May, the Colonel’s Review on 4 June and the Queen’s Birthday Parade on 11 June. This was the second of those occasions.
The distinction matters when looking back at the film. It shows the rehearsal, rather than the Queen’s appearance at the following Saturday’s parade. My aim was to share a glimpse of the formations and pageantry ahead of the main event.
According to the Ministry of Defence’s account of the rehearsal, the Colour for 2016 belonged to Number 7 Company Coldstream Guards. The wider parade brought together Foot Guards, the Household Cavalry and The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery.
Foot Guards and marching formations
From the spectator stands, I could look across the open ground towards the long ranks of guards. Scarlet tunics and bearskin caps formed strong lines against the pale parade surface. Behind them, the surrounding buildings and packed stands gave the scene its familiar London setting.
The film moves between these wider views and closer passages in front of the camera. Some sequences show the guards standing in formation. Others follow the ranks as they march across the ground, turn and move past the spectators. The changing angles make it possible to appreciate both the scale of the parade and the detail of the uniforms.
Military bands on the parade ground
The bands are a central part of the footage. Brass instruments, drums and rows of musicians appear among the guards, adding another layer of movement to the ceremony. At several points, the musicians pass close enough for the camera to pick out individual instruments and uniform details.
Later views place the marching band beside the row of national flags at the edge of the parade ground. Those shots give a different sense of the setting from the broad view across Horse Guards Parade. Together, they record the event from the perspective of a spectator watching it unfold.
Horse-drawn guns and mounted cavalry
The horse teams bring a striking change to the scene. In the film, they pull the green gun carriages across the parade ground and past the stands. The wheels, harnesses and closely spaced teams are especially clear in the nearer shots.
Mounted cavalry follow in ceremonial dress, with polished helmets, plumes and breastplates catching the light. The footage includes both broad formations approaching across the ground and closer views as the riders pass. The contrast with the marching Foot Guards is one of the most memorable parts of this short film.
A glimpse of Trooping the Colour 2016
I edited the visit into a film of around fourteen minutes, combining footage and still photographs. It is a selection of moments from the review, rather than a complete record of every stage of the ceremony. The photographs accompanying this article are frames from that original film.
For the following weekend’s celebrations, I took a different route through London. That outing included picnic shopping, a glimpse towards Buckingham Palace and the birthday gun salute. You can follow it in my Green Park picnic and Trooping the Colour 2016 film.
Watch the Colonel’s Review film
Watch the original film below for the marching formations, bands, horse-drawn artillery and mounted cavalry at Horse Guards Parade. It preserves a spectator’s view of the final rehearsal ahead of the 2016 Queen’s Birthday Parade.
