The ballot to apply for Trooping the Colour tickets is open, meaning you are in with a chance of seeing the wonderful pomp of celebrating The Queen’s official birthday at Horse Guards Parade in June!

Tickets are very limited in number,  but if you are successful, it will allow you to watch one of the great spectacles in the royal calendar up close, seeing what members of the Royal Family do.

The Queen attending the Trooping. Photo courtesy of the Royal Family

Over 1400 officers and men and 200 horses are on parade, with over 400 musicians from 10 bands and corps of drums marching and playing to mark Her Majesty’s official birthday. This year, it will be 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards who display their colour in front of The Queen.

You may apply for a maximum of four tickets, while there is no maximum limit for the Colonel and Major-General’s reviews in the weeks leading up to Trooping the Colour.

TELL ME ABOUT… TROOPING THE COLOUR

We will see the Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for Trooping the Colour (Andrew Parsons / i-Images)

The Red Arrows fly over Buckingham Palace to celebrate the official birthday of Her Majesty The Queen after Trooping the Colour (MoD)

These reviews are a sneak-peek into the parade, if you will. The Colonel’s Review takes place a week before, on 1 June. It is a practise run, fine-tuning the rehearsal. This year, the salute is to be taken by The Duke of York as Colonel-in-Chief of the Grenadiers, a role he took over from The Duke of Edinburgh. It generally rotates amongst members of the family with a colonel role (Anne, Charles, William, Duke of Kent), as well as Colonel’s in the Household Divisions. The Major General’s Review will be on the 3rd June.

A ticket to the event will cost you £40, while the Colonel’s review is £10.00 and tickets are £5 for The Major General’s Review. You have until 28th February to apply for tickets – do not delay!

In order to enter the ballot for tickets go here, although you can purchase the Major General’s review or Colonel’s review directly, with no need to wait.

The Queen began riding in a carriage in 1987, and Prince Philip did not attend in 2018 (John Pannell)

Trooping the Colour has celebrated the Sovereign’s birthday for centuries. Edward VII decided November was too cold so chose a summer date instead. MOD

Anyone from Canada, Australia and New Zealand wanting to attend Trooping the Colour should instead send their application to their High Commission in London. For tickets to the Major General’s and Colonel’s Reviews, send the letter to the above address.

You will be contacted by the end of March should your application have been successful, so do not send any money until then.

If you are unlucky to not get a ticket, why not join the crowds that line the Mall to see the regiments march and ride past, followed by the carriage processions to and from Horse Guards from the Palace. We have some tips about attending the event here.

Those that are quick enough will also manage to get to Buckingham Palace’s gates, to see the extended Royal Family appear on the balcony and watch the RAF fly-past. In 2016, Princess Charlotte made her first appearance at the event.

Failing that, the BBC televise the event each year, offering camera views from many different locations and close-ups of the royal carriage rides.