King Charles wants to get back in the saddle for Trooping the Colour by riding his favourite horse at his birthday celebrations. Charles, 75, will be easing back into public life after a three-month break to focus on his treatment and recuperation after he was diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer.
Trooping the Colour is a major event in the royal calendar and one at which the King is keen to be seen “leading from the front” by appearing on his most favoured horse, Noble, according to The Sun.
Charles could ride from Buckingham Palace along The Mall to Horse Guards Parade along with Prince William, Princess Anne and Prince Edward.
However, doctors may advise the monarch against such a move as His Royal Highness continues to recuperate.
An insider told The Sun the King “wants to lead from the front” and has been “quite clear” he is raring to get back to public facing duties.
They added the King doesn’t need to appear on horseback at Trooping the Colour but believes if it can be achieved and comes with the agreement of royal doctors then he wants it to happen.
The insider said: “There will obviously be a lot of nervousness and an extraordinary amount of checks to make sure appearing on horseback will not be detrimental to his health or recovery.
“But the King rightly believes it is important he is at least there in some capacity.”
Buckingham Palace has said King Charles was greatly encouraged to resume some public-facing duties and very grateful to his medical team for their continued care and expertise.
Sources have stressed that despite the welcome news the King still has cancer and will continue to be treated for the undisclosed form of the disease.
A Palace spokesperson said “His Majesty’s medical team are very encouraged by the progress made so far and remain positive about the King’s continued recovery.”
To mark the development, Buckingham Palace has announced King Charles and Queen Camilla will visit a cancer treatment centre on Tuesday (April 30) to meet medical specialists and patients.
A picture marking the first anniversary of the crowning of the King and Queen on May 6 has also been released, taken the day after the couple’s 19th wedding anniversary on April 10.
At last year’s Trooping the Colour Charles became the first monarch in decades to appear on horseback. His mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, stopped doing so when she was 60, according to The Sun.
Charles was flanked by his eldest son, sister and youngest brother, who were all mounted on horses while William’s children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis travelled in a carriage.
The ceremony, which celebrates the link between the monarch and British Armed Forces, ends with an appearance by the Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
Tickets for this year’s Trooping the Colour, which also marks the official birthday of the monarch, have already sold out. The ceremony is on June 15.
The Palace has said King Charles’s engagements over the coming months will be adapted as needed to minimise any risks to his recovery.
He won’t have a full summer program, and his attendance will be determined closer to the time of each event and with the advice of his doctors.
King Charles last appeared in public at the Royal Family’s Easter Sunday service at Windsor. As well as the visit to the cancer treatment centre on Tuesday, Buckingham Palace has confirmed the King will host a State Visit from the Emperor and Empress of Japan in June.
