The Queen will change Trooping the Colour tradition for first time to salute from Buckingham Palace

The Queen is to take a salute from the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the first time in her 70 years of Trooping the Colour, in a compromise that will allow her to fulfil her Jubilee duties in comfort.

The military event, which will open the Platinum Jubilee celebrations on Thursday, will conclude with the Household Division marching to the front of the palace where the Queen will appear on the balcony.

The working-from-home arrangement will allow Her Majesty to take her traditional part in the celebrations, without having to make the journey to Horse Guards Parade in person or sit on a dais for the long ceremony.

The Prince of Wales, colonel of the Welsh Guards, will take the customary salute at Horse Guards Parade, joined by the Duke of Cambridge and the Princess Royal, colonel of the Blues and Royals, all on horseback on the parade ground.

The Duke of Cambridge on Saturday carried out the Colonel’s Review of the final rehearsal of Trooping the Colour, in his role as royal colonel of the Irish Guards. He rode a horse called George, the same name as his eldest son.

Numerous "Plan B" scenarios for Trooping the Colour had already been proposed, including the Queen travelling by car instead of carriage to Horse Guards Parade, or another member of her family inspecting the troops on her behalf while she only appeared in public to wave.

Instead, she will remain at Buckingham Palace to take a modified role from the balcony, appearing either alone or with the Duke of Kent, her cousin who also accompanied her to last year's scaled-back Trooping. The Household Division will march back to the palace for the salute, as a compliment to the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, it is understood.

The Queen will then step inside the palace to summon the working members of her family to join her for the traditional royal appearance to wave at crowds and watch a fly-past.

Cambridge children to make debut

The Queen has attended Trooping the Colour every year of her reign, except in 1955 when it was cancelled due to a rail strike. Until now, she has always been present at Horse Guards Parade for the duration of the ceremony, most recently sitting on a dais.

This year, other members of her family will attend as usual, with the Cambridge children expected to make their debut in the carriages en route to the parade and a predicted appearance from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

The Royal Family guest list for the balcony has already been confirmed, with the Queen restricting it to working members only after "careful consideration".

Thursday’s parade will kick off four-days of national celebrations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

On Saturday Prince William, 39, was on parade as royal colonel of the Irish Guards at the final rehearsal of Trooping the Colour.

Wearing his Irish Guards tunic and bearskin, William rode from Buckingham Palace up The Mall on to the parade ground on George, a veteran Household Division charger formerly of the Blues and Royals, affectionately known as “Gorgeous George”.

On the parade ground, he inspected the troops on horseback, a role Prince Charles will perform on Thursday, before watching more than 1,500 soldiers and 350 horses from the Household Division perform complex battlefield drills to music.

William saluted the troops - their scarlet red tunics designed by the Duke of Wellington to create an optical illusion of their numbers to fool the enemy - from his position on the parade ground where the Queen’s dais would have traditionally been placed.

Trooping the Colour has marked the official birthday of the sovereign for more than 260 years.  For the past two years, a drastically scaled-back event has been held at Windsor Castle due to Covid restrictions, with this year marking the first return to the full parade since 2019.

This year’s Trooping the Colour will see history made with the involvement in the parade of the first practicing Rastafarian.

Cavalry Trooper Samuel Wallace, 22, who was born in the Cayman Islands and raised in Devon, was selected to be part of the Royal escort.

Trooper Wallace was among the top eight finishers from the Richmond Trophy, the Regiment’s annual turn-out competition for the smartest Trooper, chosen to form the Retinue of the Life Guards accompanying members of the Royal family.

Garrison Sergeant Major WPO2 Andrew Stokes, whose job it is to ensure the parade and the wider support to the Jubilee celebrations meets the Household Division’s standards, said: “This is a big day in the calendar and I think there’s more pressure because it’s the start of such a significant week.

“We need to set the right tone, to aim for excellence and we have got to hope the public get involved and feel there are moments in it for them.”

In a message for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “No monarch has ever served the country so long and more importantly no monarch has ever served it so well.

“Providing leadership and wisdom, this remarkable woman has dedicated her life to serving her people and to her beloved Commonwealth. She has led this country through good times and bad, inspiring people to serve others and their communities to create the pride and allegiance that unites us all. Simply without parallel, she embodies the very idea of what a constitutional monarchy should be.”