King Charles drops major role amid health concerns

King Charles is set to break from a longstanding royal tradition during his birthday celebrations at Trooping the Colour on June 14. 

The 76-year-old monarch will no longer ride in horseback during the procession, instead travelling in a carriage alongside Queen Camilla. 

While His Majesty has long participated in the annual military parade on horseback-continuing a custom upheld by his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II-his ongoing cancer treatment has necessitated the change. 

He first switched to a carriage for the 2024 parade and will follow the same protocol this year, according to The Times. 

Charles had briefly revived the 'monarch on horseback' tradition in 2023 but is now expected to retire it permanently. This shift also signals a broader change in is personal routine, as he has reportedly stopped riding horses for leisure-something his mother famously enjoyed until just months before her death. 

Queen Elizabeth last rode at Trooping the Colour in 1986 before her mare, Burmere, retired. She opted for a carriage from that point onward and maintained that practice through her final appearance in 2022. 

While the King has made few adjustments to his royal schedule since being diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer last year, giving up horseback appearances marks a symbolic change in how he approaches ceremonial duties.