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Meet the man leading King Charles at Trooping the Colour

Lieutenant Colonel James Shaw is tasked with heading up the royal procession at the royal extravaganza

Lieutenant Colonel James Shaw, Brigade Major to the Brigade of Guards
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This week's Royal Explainer newsletter focuses on the biggest royal event since King Charles' coronation weekend: the annual Trooping the Colour extravaganza.

The public celebration marks the monarch's official birthday, and this year's promises to be even more momentous than usual by being the first since Queen Elizabeth II died and the first of King Charles III’s reign.

Beyond its link to the monarch, Trooping the Colour is synonymous with the military while the 'colours' refer to the flags of the different regiments in the British Army. With such militaristic prestige, one man has more reason than most to feel proud. He is Lieutenant Colonel James Shaw, Brigade Major of the British Army and, by dint, head of the royal procession at Trooping the Colour.

In the build-up to the big day, Lt Col Shaw sat down for an exclusive interview with HELLO! to talk all things Trooping. 

Sign up to our royal newsletter to access the interview and discover the big change in this year’s ceremony, what goes on behind the pomp and circumstance, and why King Charles’s decision to break with royal precedent and ride on horseback is no cause for concern