The Prince of Wales carried out the Colonel’s Review ahead of next weekend’s Trooping the Colour.

The week before Trooping the Colour is the final rehearsal for that year’s trooping regiment. This year, the Welsh Guards have the honour of trooping their colour at the official birthday celebration for King Charles III—the first of his reign.

The Kensington Royal social accounts shared a video of William on horseback riding from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade, captioning it: “Months of preparation and training go into Trooping the Colour. Today members of the Household Division will perform their final major rehearsal for the event in front of members of the public in London. With thanks to the Welsh Guards, Household Cavalry and @armyinlondon.”  

The public event saw at least three soldiers collapse due to the heat, with temperatures reaching 28 degrees Celsius in Central London on Saturday.

William shared a personal tweet from the Kensington Palace Twitter account, writing: “A big thank you to every solider who took part in the Colonel’s Review this morning in the heat. Difficult conditions but you all did a really good job. Thank you. W”

A soldier by the name of James Calford told reporters afterwards that Trooping the Colour is like “being stood in a sauna with a 200kg dumbbell in your left hand,” and that it’s “harder than it looks on the TV.”

William became Colonel of the Welsh Guards in December 2022, succeeding his father in the role. Prior to this appointment, William was Colonel of the Irish Guards since 2011; his wife Catherine now holds the colonelcy.

King Charles held the colonelcy of the Welsh Guards from 1975 to 2022. Previous royals to hold the position include George V, Edward VIII and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

The first Trooping the Colour of King Charles III’s reign will take place on 17 June.