Thousands to line streets for Trooping the Colour marking King's birthday
Date: 09:11 BST
Title: Royals to honour air crash victims at Trooping the Colour
Content: Sean CoughlanRoyal correspondent, reporting from the Mall
King Charles has asked the Royal Family taking part in the Trooping the Colour parade to wear black armbands, as a mark of respect to the victims of the Air India plane crash, Buckingham Palace said.
The King requested a minute's silence, which will come after his inspection of the parade, in recognition of "the lives lost, the families in mourning and all the communities affected by this awful tragedy", a Palace spokesman said.
The King had sent a message of support soon after the news broke of the air crash, which claimed the lives of all but one of the 242 passengers and crew.
Flags have been at half-mast at royal residences and the black armbands will add another sign of respect, with the King having said he was "desperately shocked by the terrible events in Ahmedabad".
Coachmen and women on carriages in the parade are also likely to wear black armbands, along with those senior royals in military uniform in the parade, including the King and the Prince of Wales.
Those royals at the ceremony but not in uniform will probably not wear armbands.
Read more: Royals to honour air crash victims at Trooping the Colour
Update:
Date: 08:48 BST
Title: Horses prepared, uniforms cleaned, boots shined - it's nearly time for Trooping the Colour
Content: King Charles III presented new colours to the Number 7 Company Coldstream Guards at Windsor Castle yesterday.
It's time to buckle yourselves in for the pomp and ceremony of this year's Trooping the Colour - an annual military parade celebrating the monarch's official birthday.
King Charles' actual birthday is 14 November, but Trooping the Colour has marked the monarch's birthday in June for more than 260 years.
This year it's the Number 7 Company Coldstream Guards trooping their flag - also known as their 'colour' - in the presence of the King, with more than 1,350 soldiers of the Household Division of the British Army expected to take part in today's parade.
There'll be music to march along to, royals to spot, and an RAF flypast zooming across the skies over central London near Buckingham Palace.
We've got the BBC's royal correspondent Sean Coughlan reporting from the Mall to bring you the latest updates on the ground.
Clare Balding will also present the BBC's live coverage when the military parade kicks off at 10:30 BST - you can follow along by clicking Watch Live at the top of this page.
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