Trooping the Colour Trooping the Colour is a ceremony performed by regiment s of the British and Commonwealth armies . It has been a tradition of British infantry regiments since the 17th century , although the roots go back much earlier . On battlefields , a regiment ' s colours , or flags , were used as rallying points . Consequently , regiments would have their ensign s slowly march with their colours between the soldiers ' ranks to enable soldiers to recognise their regiments ' colours . Since 1748 Trooping the Colour has also marked the official birthday of the British sovereign . It is held in London annually on a Saturday in June on Horse Guards Parade by St . James ' s Park , and coincides with the publication of the Birthday Honours List . Among the audience are the Royal Family , invited guests , ticketholders and the general public . The colourful ceremony , also known as " The Queen ' s Birthday Parade " , is broadcast live by the BBC . The Queen travels down The Mall from Buckingham Palace in a royal procession with a sovereign ' s escort of Household Cavalry ( mounted troops or horse guards ) . After receiving a royal salute , she inspects her troops of the Household Division , both foot guards and horse guards , and the King ' s Troop , Royal Horse Artillery . Each year , one of the foot - guards regiments is selected to troop its colour through the ranks of guards . Then the entire Household Division assembly conducts a march past the Queen , who receives a salute from the saluting base . Parading with its guns , the King ' s Troop takes precedence as the mounted troops perform a walk - march and trot - past . The music is provided by the massed bands of the foot guards and the mounted bands of the Household Cavalry , together with a Corps of Drums , and occasionally pipers , totalling approximately 400 musicians . Returning to Buckingham Palace , the Queen watches a further march - past from outside the gates . Following a 41 - gun salute by the King ' s Troop in Green Park , she leads the Royal Family on to the palace balcony for a Royal Air Force flypast . Regimental colours . A regiment ' s colours embody its spirit and service , as well as its fallen soldiers . The loss of a colour , or the capture of an enemy colour , were respectively considered the greatest shame , or the greatest glory on a battlefield . Consequently , regimental colours are venerated by officers and soldiers of all ranks , second only to the sovereign . Only battalions of infantry regiments of the line carry colours ; the Royal Artillery ' s colours , for example , are its guns . Rifle regiments did not form a line and thus never carried colours . Their battle honours are carried on their drums . The exception to this is the Honourable Artillery Company , which has both a stand of colours and guns . Trooping the Colour is an old ceremony whereby a battalion would fall in by companies and the colour - party would " troop " or march the colours through the ranks so that every man would see that the colours were intact . This was done before and after every battle . This ceremony has been retained through time and is today largely ceremonial . The sovereign ' s official birthday . In the United Kingdom , Trooping the Colour is also known as the Queen ' s Birthday Parade . It has marked the official birthday of the sovereign since 1748 , and has occurred annually since 1820 ( except in bad weather , periods of mourning and other exceptional circumstances ) . From the reign of King Edward VII , the sovereign has taken the salute in person . It was Edward VII who moved Trooping the Colour to its June date , because of the vagaries of British weather ( his own natural birthday being in November ) . Trooping the Colour allows the troops of the Household Division to pay a personal tribute to the sovereign with great pomp and pageantry . Crowds lining the route and in St . James ' s Park listen to music performed by both massed and mounted bands . The Queen has attended Trooping the Colour in every year of her reign except when prevented by a rail strike in 1955 . Formerly mounted herself , she commenced riding in a carriage in 1987 . On 13 June 1981 , she and her mount were startled by a youth who fired blank rounds from a revolver . Her 80th birthday in 2006 was marked by a large flypast of 40 planes led by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and culminating with the Red Arrows . It was followed by the first feu de joie ( " fire of joy " ) fired in her presence during her reign , a second being fired at her Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012 . In 2008 , a flypast of 55 aircraft commemorated the RAF ' s 90th anniversary . Rehearsals . The Major General ' s Review and the Colonel ' s Review are scheduled on the Saturdays two and one weeks preceding the Queen ' s Birthday Parade respectively . The salute is taken , respectively , by the Major - General Commanding the Household Division and the Colonel of the Regiment which is trooping its colour . The Unit presenting the Colours commences Troop practice in April . Trooping the Colour : participants and parade summary . On the day of Trooping the Colour , the Royal Standard is flown from Buckingham Palace and from Horse Guards Building , while the Union Flag ( colloquially known as the Union Jack ) , is flown from public buildings as well as the flags of the British Commonwealth of Nations , especially in recent years . Foot Guards , including Escort to The Colour ( No 1 Guard ) . " Nos 1 - 6 Guards " - six companies of Foot Guards , each comprising 70 men and 3 officers - line two sides of the perimeter of Horse Guards Parade in an extended " L " shape . This recalls the defensive formation known as the " Hollow Square . " All six companies are collectively commanded as " Guards . . . " and individually by company number , e . g . , " No . 3 Guard . . . " Up to eight guards have taken part in a varying number over the years . There were six guards in 1939 , five guards in 1954 , seven from 1963 to 1967 , and then eight guards up to the 1980s . The battalion trooping its colour in any given year is No . 1 Guard . During the parade , they are referred to as ' Escort For the Colour ' ( and , once they have collected their colour during the ceremony , as ' Escort to the Colour ' ) . At the outset , the colour is held by the Colour Party - a colour sergeant and two other guardsmen of No . 1 Guards , standing well - spaced on the northern side of Horse Guards Parade . Once obtained by the Regimental Sergeant Major of No . 1 Guard , the colour is borne through the ranks of Nos 2 - 6 Guards by an Ensign of No . 1 Guard . It is a great honour for a young officer to carry the colour in this ceremony , as historically only the most courageous Ensign s were assigned to carry the regiment ' s colours in battle . Nowadays the honour is normally given to second lieutenant s who excel at drill and ceremonial and who are physically fit . Mounted troops and Sovereign ' s Escort . Lining the edge of St . James ' s Park are the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment - the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals - as well as the King ' s Troop , Royal Horse Artillery . In the Royal Procession , the Household Cavalry are termed Sovereign ' s Escort . Two divisions ride ahead of the Queen ' s carriage and two behind it , and the Life Guards and Blues and Royals alternate these positions each year . Commanding officers . Three mounted officers drawn from No 1 Guard give drill commands during the parade . The most senior is the Field Officer in Brigade Waiting a Lieutenant Colonel , assisted by the Major of the Parade . The Field Officer occupies a central position on the parade ground . The third mounted officer is the Adjutant . The Garrison Sergeant Major of London District , who is not mounted , coordinates the whole event on the parade ground and the approach road from The Mall . Military bands . With almost 400 musicians on the field , led by the massed military band s of the Household Division , the music forms an integral part of the day . The massed bands of the Foot Guards number over 200 musicians . Joining them are the mounted bands of the Household Cavalry . There is also a Corps of Drums and , on some occasions , pipe band s of the Scots Guards and Irish Guards . Summary of the parade design . The entire parade is best understood as an exercise of several elements carried out in slow and quick march time , with the Trooping the Colour phase forming the centrepiece . The Queen ' s Birthday Parade in detail . The entire parade is supervised by the Field Officer in Brigade Waiting , known as the Field Officer and the parade commander in charge , with the assistance of the Brigade Major and the Adjutant , all on horseback , and joined by the London District Garrison Sergeant Major , who is unmounted and coordinates the proceedings of the ceremony . March on . A detail of guardsmen bearing marker flags marches on , to mark the positions of Nos . 1 - 6 Guards . ( These marker flags are the respective company colours from each regiment . ) Preceded by their regimental bands , Nos . 1 - 6 Guards march into position . No . 1 Guard is " Escort For the Colour . " With the foot guards in their full dress and the mounted bands in state dress uniform , the assembled ranks of Household Division make a colourful spectacle . Guards half - companies line up on the road to Horse Guards Parade to provide security to the Royal Family that will arrive later and to the marching and mounted contingents . Arrival of the sovereign . Senior members of the Royal Family arrive in two barouche carriages . No . 3 Guard opens ranks to allow the carriages to pass . ( The Royal Family enters Horse Guards Building to view the ceremony from a central first floor window in the Duke of Wellington ' s former office . ) Preceded by the Sovereign ' s Escort , the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh ( Colonel of the Grenadier Guards ) drive down the Mall in the Royal Procession . They are seated in Queen Victoria ' s 1842 ivory - mounted phaeton drawn by two Windsor Grey horses . ( From 2012 they both ride in a Glass coach , one of the principal State coaches . ) Directly behind them ride the Royal Colonels : the Prince of Wales ( Welsh Guards ) , Duke of Kent ( Scots Guards ) , Princess Royal ( Blues and Royals ) , and from 2011 , the newest Royal Colonel : the Duke of Cambridge ( Irish Guards ) . Other officers complete the Royal Procession . As the phaeton or coach arrives on Horse Guards Parade , the Royal Standard is prepared to be released and flown from the roof of Horse Guards . The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh alight at the Saluting Base to start the ceremonies . The Field Officer commences the Parade with the command : " Guards - Royal Salute - Present Arms ! " and the national anthem ( God Save The Queen ) is played by the Household Division ' s Foot Guards Massed Bands , led by the Senior Director of Music of the Household Division , and as this is done the Royal Standard is formally released and flies over the Horse Guards flagpole . Inspection of the line . The Queen re - enters the phaeton or coach and is driven before and behind the long line of assembled guards , with the Royal Colonels following . BBC television commentaries every year emphasise the Queen ' s knowledge of the attributes of her guards , and single out " steadiness " as a highly prized quality for a guardsman . The accompanying marches always carry a flavour of the regiment whose colour is being trooped , lending the royal inspection a unique atmosphere , especially when it is the turn of the three guard regiments representing a home nation ( Northern Ireland , Scotland and Wales ) . While the Queen passes the six companies of foot guards on her left , a slow march or air is played . Once the phaeton turns around the rear of No . 6 Guard , the music changes to a quick march . The Queen is conveyed back up the line , passing the Household Cavalry and King ' s Troop stationed on her right , and as the music stops , makes her way back to the saluting base . Massed bands troop . With the Queen once more seated at the saluting base after leaving the coach , the command " Troop ! " is given by the Field Officer , and the parade stands at attention and changes arms as a bass drum mer gives the signal for the Massed Bands to start their march . ( This is not to be confused with the trooping of the colour itself , which occurs later in the ceremony . ) Under the command of the Senior Drum Major , the massed bands march and countermarch at Horse Guards Parade in slow and quick time . The slow march music is traditionally the Waltz from " Les Huguenots " . During the quick march , a lone drummer from the Corps of Drums breaks away from the massed bands , marching to two paces to the right of No . 1 Guard to take his post . The Trooping of the Colour phase is initiated by the lone drummer ' s eight - bar " Drummer ' s Call " , signalling the Captain of No . 1 Guard to cede his command to the Subaltern of No . 1 Guard . It slopes arms , while the rest is told to change arms and stands at ease on the direction of the Field Officer . Escort for the Colour obtains the colour . As Escort For the Colour , No . 1 Guard performs the centrepiece of the parade . An orderly takes the pace stick from the Regimental Sergeant - Major ( RSM ) , positioned behind the Escort For the Colour , thus freeing the RSM to draw his sword - the only time a British warrant officer ever does so on parade . The Subaltern then commands No . 1 Guard to move into close order , and then dresses it . Then , led by the Subaltern with the Ensign following , and with the Regimental Sergeant - Major marching behind the company , the Escort For the Colour quick marches onto the field to " The British Grenadiers " . ( This tune is always used irrespective of which regiment ' s colour is being trooped , because the right flank of every battalion used to be a grenadier company . ) The Escort marks time while the Massed Bands " clear the line of march " and move to the front of the Guards and mark time . Fifteen steps away from the Colour Party , the music halts and four paces later , the ' Escort for the Colour ' halts in place , and is ordered to open ranks and dressed , followed later by the Massed Bands making an about turn . The guards are then called to attention and then change and slope arms under the direction of the Field Officer , while the Household Cavalry are also called to attention by the commander of the Sovereign ' s Escort . The RSM marches around to the front of the Escort and , followed by the Ensign , approaches the Colour Party . Having saluted the colour with his sword , the Sergeant - Major takes it from the Colour Sergeant , freeing him to change and later slope arms . The RSM turns , marches to the Ensign , and presents the colour to him . The Ensign salutes the colour with his sword , sheathes the sword without taking his eyes off the colour , and takes possession of it . Having obtained their colour , No . 1 Guard ( formerly known as " Escort " for " the Colour " ) is now termed " Escort " to " the Colour . " By then , the massed bands , now with the line cleared , face front , with the Corps of Drums , pipe bands and the senior director of music leading . The Escort positions itself to troop its colour . To the first six bars of " God Save the Queen " , the Escort to the Colour presents arms ; simultaneously , turning outward at an angle of 90° , the NCOs ( non - commissioned officers ) at the four corners of the Escort port arms , as symbolic maximum protection for the colour . The Escort to the Colour and Colour Party slope arms afterwards . The Colour Sergeant marches to the right and to the rear of the Escort . Once the Colour Party , Ensign and Regimental Sergeant - Major have joined the Escort , the RSM repositions himself to the left of and behind of the Escort . The Subaltern then orders the Escort to change arms and commands the slow march . Spinwheel of the massed bands . As the Escort to the Colour slow marches down the field towards No . 6 Guard to begin their colour trooping , the massed bands perform their unique anti - clockwise " spinwheel " manoeuvre . This , a 90° turn in restricted space , is performed while playing the slow march " Escort to the Colour . " Prime responsibility for the celebrated spinwheel , which is largely individual and instinctive , rests with the Garrison Sergeant Major . A ' wheel ' is not an easy manoeuvre with even a small body of troops , and with a block of 400 men the normal wheel is impossible . The massed band therefore pivots on its own centre , so that certain outer ranks and files march long distances in a hurry while the centre and inner ranks loiter with extreme intent , or merely mark time . Yet others not only step sideways but backwards as well . This highly complex movement is called a ' spin - wheel ' , the details of which can be found in no drill book or manual of ceremonial . Its complexity defies description , and if the truth were known , many of the participants know not whither they go or , on arrival , how they got there . The spin - wheel is almost an art form and each performance of it , although similar in essentials , is different in detail . Most of the performers are adjusting their actions to suit the needs of the spin - wheel of the moment , having adjusted their movements quite otherwise on other occasions . Once the Escort reaches the edge of No . 6 Guard , the music stops , and the Field Officer in Brigade Waiting orders the entire parade ( except the Escort ) to present arms as the trooping proper starts . The music changes to " The Grenadiers ' Slow March . " Trooping the colour through the ranks . To the strains of " The Grenadiers ' Slow March " , the Escort to the Colour then troops the colour down the long line of Nos 6 - 2 Guards . The colour itself is borne by the Ensign in front of the line of guards , but the ranks of the Escort interweave with their ranks . For Nos 6 - 2 Guards , who maintain the ' present arms ' position , the long trooping , especially on a hot day , requires stamina . As this is done the Massed Bands move back in slow time to their original places . Eventually the Escort arrives back at its original position as no . 1 Guard - from where it first marched off in quick time . Their Captain , who had temporarily ceded his command to the Subaltern , resumes his command over No . 1 Guard by ordering them to present arms , thus bringing the Escort back in line with Nos 2 - 6 Guards . The entire parade is now ordered by the Field Officer to slope arms , thus concluding the trooping phase . The trooping phase is followed by the march - past in slow and quick time of the foot guards and then the Household Cavalry and King ' s Troop , also in slow and quick time . Form divisions to prepare for march - past . The Field Officer gives the command , " Officers , take post . " Nos 1 to 5 Guard then " retire " , about - turning and right - forming into review formation . Nos 1 to 5 Guard then about - turn again as the Corps of Drums play . ( Since No . 6 Guard is already standing at right angles to the other five companies it does not need to execute this movement . ) Once intervals are established , the Field Officer salutes the Queen and informs her that the foot guards are ready to slow - march , then commands , " Guards will march past in slow and quick time ! " and orders the slow march . Foot guards march past in slow and quick time . No . 1 Guard - the Escort - leads the six companies for two circuits of Horse Guards Parade , saluting the Queen as they pass . The corners of the field are negotiated with the complex Left Form manoeuvre . Commands of " Change direction - left ! " are followed by " Left . . . Form ! " At the end of both the slow and quick march - past , the Field Officer rides out to salute the Queen with his sword , telling her that the march - past segment is officially done . Slow march - past . Neutral slow marches start and conclude this section . The guards are preceded past the saluting base by the Field Officer and the Major of the Parade , who salute the Queen with their swords and eyes right . To the strains of their regimental marches , each of Nos . 1 - 6 Guards passes before the Queen with their eyes right , their regimental officers saluting with swords . The leading company , No . 1 Guard - the Escort to the Colour - has a particular honour . The Ensign lowers the colour - the ' flourish ' . The Queen acknowledges it with a bow of the head , and the Royal Colonels salute the regiment . Once past the saluting base , the colour is raised again - the ' recover ' - and an " eyes front " is ordered . Each company ' s salute is acknowledged by the Queen , the Duke , and the Royal Colonels . Quick march - past . For this circuit , the colour is at the rear of the Escort ( No . 1 Guard ) , protected by the Colour Party . As before , their regimental marches are played as each guard passes before the Queen with eyes right . However , this being a quick march , the officers do not salute with swords , but only with the eyes right instead . As with the slow march - past , neutral marches start and conclude this section . The massed bands , led by the Corps of Drums and the pipes and drums , march away to allow the mounted bands on to the ground . By then , the foot guards have ended their march , and are now back in place and dressed . Mounted troops ride past . The mounted bands , in state dress , led by the two drum horses , and the Director of Music of the Household Cavalry , ride slowly on to the field , traditionally to the tune " Preobrajensky . " It is the turn of Household Cavalry and King ' s Troop to complete two circuits of Horse Guards Parade . For the horses , slow and quick time correspond to a walk - march and a sitting - trot , respectively . Walk - march . Salutes are again given to the Queen , and returned by her and the Royal Colonels to the colours as they pass by . The Royal Horse Artillery , marching to the " Royal Artillery Slow March " and then the " March from " Aida " " , is first , taking precedence over all other units when on parade with its guns . When the King ' s Troop passes the saluting base , the Queen acknowledges the leading gun as the colour . The Life Guards , in red jackets and white plumes , are next , followed by the Blues and Royals , in blue jackets and red plumes . The sequence of regimental marches is : " Life Guards ' Slow March " , followed by " Blues and Royals ' Slow March " , and then " The Royals . " Riding at the rear of the Household Cavalry are the farrier s , one for each regiment , carrying their glinting axes and flanked by a soldier of each regiment . ( The Life Guards farrier wears a black plume rather than the usual regimental white . ) The two Household Cavalry regiments take turns to parade and the job of parading the Queen ' s Cavalry Standard of either of the two regiments alternates yearly between the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals . As the standard passes by , it is flourished in the presence of the Queen , the Duke and the Royal Colonels and after walking past them is recovered . Trot - past . A state trumpeter of either of the two Household Cavalry regiments plays " The Trot " to signal the beginning of the sitting trot past . " The Keel Row " is traditionally played , and much dust is raised by the horses . As for the Queen ' s Cavalry Standard , it is just trotted in the presence of the Queen and the Royal Colonels . As the trot past ends the mounted bands salute the Queen , the drum horse riders crossing their drumsticks above their heads . They then proceed back to the east side of Horse Guards Parade and halt in place . Preparing for march - off . Their director of music turns inwards on his horse as a signal to the Field Officer that the Household Cavalry and the King ' s Troop are now in position to formally end the proceedings . During the final Royal Salute , the colour of No . 1 Guard is lowered to the ground by the Ensign . Forming divisions once more , accompanied by the Corps of Drums , the guards prepare to march off , and the Household Cavalry and the King ' s Troop leave the field . The Field Officer , after forming the parade for the march - off , then rides towards the saluting base , informing the Queen that the guards are ready to march off the field . The King ' s Troop , Royal Horse Artillery leaves Horse Guards Parade and proceeds to Green Park ( adjacent to Buckingham Palace ) to formally commence the royal 41 - gun salute . ( On royal anniversaries only , the Honourable Artillery Company ( HAC ) will also prepare to fire a symbolic royal 62 - gun salute at the Tower of London in their honour ) . Marching off . Led by the massed bands , the Queen places herself at the head of her foot guards . The entire parade of 1 , 000 soldiers and 400 musicians marches up the Mall towards Buckingham Palace . The Markers then march off the grounds carrying the regimental company colours on the marker flags . The King ' s Troop and the HAC , now in place , get ready to commence firing their respective gun salutes during the Royal Family ' s arrival at the palace . At the same time , the old and new Queen ' s Guards , now performing the Changing of the Guard in the palace forecourt at the same time as the ceremony being done , also prepare for the royal carriages ' arrival and to salute the Queen on her carriage when she arrives . After the ceremony . Each year when the Queen returns to Buckingham Palace , two detachments of the new Queen ' s guard enter the forecourt , forming up opposite the old Queen ' s guard . The Queen then stops at the gateway together with the Duke of Edinburgh . Standing before the central gateway they then receive the salute of the remainder of the guards and then the mounted troops . As they file past , their regimental marches are played by the massed and mounted bands respectively . The Royal Family observes the spectacle from the balcony . The Queen ' s phaeton passes into the palace between the old and new Queen ' s guards , with both Queen ' s guards saluting her . The usual semi - daily Changing of the Guard continues on the forecourt of the palace . The gun salutes begin on the arrival of the Queen at Buckingham Palace , with the King ' s Troop firing a 41 - gun royal salute in Green Park and the Honourable Artillery Company firing a 62 - gun royal salute from the Tower of London grounds . Finally , the Queen and the Royal Family on the palace balcony witness a flypast by the Royal Air Force , often featuring the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and the Red Arrows . Regimental marches of the foot guards . Below are links to words and music of the regimental marches of the five foot guards regiments . Slow marches Quick marches Music for all five regiments ' quick marches , in order of seniority List of regiments trooping the colour . Since only one colour can be trooped down the ranks at a time , each year a single battalion of the five Foot Guards regiments is selected to troop its colours . Since 1993 , the 2nd Battalions of the Grenadier Guards , Coldstream Guards and Scots Guards have been in " suspended animation " - they are represented in the parade by the three incremental companies . The number of soldiers participating in Trooping the Colour in London has declined over the years due to defence budget cuts in Household Division battalion s as well as the battalions ' commitments to military and peacekeeping operations overseas . This gives some of the units little time to practice ceremonial functions . However , the format of the ceremony has remained the same over the centuries following routines of old battle formations used in the era of musket warfare . Australia . In Australia the Trooping the Queen ' s Colour takes place annually on the Queen ' s Birthday Holiday at the Royal Military College , Duntroon in Canberra . The Queen ' s colour was trooped there for the first time on the Queen ' s Birthday Parade in 1956 , a practice which has continued since then . Colours were first presented to the Corps of Staff Cadets by His Majesty King George VI when , as Duke of York , he visited Australia in 1927 . These colours are now lodged in the college ' s Patterson Hall . Colours were again presented by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 10 May 1988 and most recently on 22 October 2011 during a brief visit to Australia , coinciding with RMC Duntroon ' s centenary year . The Champion Company of the Corps of Staff Cadets is named after the Sovereign ' s Company and it carries the Queen Elizabeth II ' s banner , which was first presented to the Corps of Staff Cadets by Her Majesty the Queen Mother on February 26 , 1958 . The Sovereign ' s Company is entitled to carry the banner on all ceremonial parades as well as escorting the Queen ' s colour during the Trooping of the Colour . The Governor - General of Australia , being Her Majesty ' s representative in the Commonwealth , is the reviewing officer of the parade . Canada . In Canada the Trooping the Colour ceremony takes place , with a trooping of the Queen ' s Colour , only for the Queen , members of the Royal Family , the Governor General , or a Lieutenant - Governor , on Remembrance Day , or in honour of the Queen ' s Birthday , on Victoria Day . Malaysia . Also part of the Commonwealth but an independent monarchy , Malaysia performs Trooping the Colours every first Saturday of June , the official birthday of the Yang di - Pertuan Agong , the elected Malaysian King , in front of the Yang di - Pertuan Agong , the Raja Permaisuri Agong , the Prime Minister of Malaysia , the Deputy Prime Minister , and other officials of the Government , and officers of the Malaysian Armed Forces , of which the King is the Commander - in - Chief as prescribed by the Malaysian Constitution of 1957 as amended . The Malaysian trooping coincides with the publication of an Honours List for the King ' s Birthday on the same day . It also incorporates many elements of the British Trooping ceremony , including a Royal Procession before and after the parade , The Sovereign ' s Escort , Saluting Base at Merdeka Square or at the Merdeka Stadium , Royal Inspection , the duties of Field Officer , Major of the Parade and Adjutant officers and the NCO duties of Regt . Sergeant Majors and Color Sergeants , the Royal Salute , 21 - gun salutes by the Royal Regiment of Artillery , and flypasts ( flying the Malaysian flag and the flags of the Armed forces ) . It is conducted in Malay and includes prayers , in the Islamic traditions of the Malaysian Armed Forces . Motorized vehicles are used in the Royal Procession from the Royal Malaysian Police . The main differences are that five colours are trooped , covering all three branches of the Armed Forces , and some of marches played are locally composed . This threefold representation is reflected in the composition of the Colours Party , the Escort for / to the Colours and the Massed Military Bands in attendance . The 2013 event will be held on the second Saturday of June ( June 8 ) for the very first time . Singapore . The Singapore Armed Forces performs Trooping the Colours annually in the SAF Day Parade . It is toned down as compared to the British version and is done after the awarding of the State Colours to the Best units of the Army , Navy and Air Force . If new Colours have been consecrated on SAF day , they are usually included in the Trooping , but if otherwise , are Trooped on a separate day . The Escorts to the Colour are usually formed by the Singapore Armed Forces Military Police Command .