Following the excitement of last year’s Trooping the Colour, we
decided to get in early this year and enter the ballot for the official
ceremony at the Horse Guards Parade. This involved composing a hand written
letter to the Brigade Major, popping it in the post in February, and then
waiting patiently for a reply.
Very old school.
After a week or so of keeping an eye on the post, we received our
tickets. Upon initial inspection, we were a tad concerned that Daniel was going
to have to wear a full Morning Suit – three piece suit with tales and top hat –
but fortunately the fine print revealed that trousers and a jacket would
suffice.
Phew.
The big day arrived, and thankfully given the outdoor seating, the
rain looked like staying away. We arrived at the Horse Guards Parade and went
through the most thorough bag search of all time – the security guard literally
went so far as to open Monique’s purse and search each little pocket.
The parade itself was well worth the effort of writing a letter. The
whole idea of ‘military precision’ takes on a whole new meaning when watching a
few hundred soldiers and their horses all moving in perfect time and unity without
so much as a hair out of place for a couple of hours.
While if you stopped for too long to reflect on how relevant all the
pomp, ceremony and funny outfits are in today’s world it would be easy to come
up scratching your head. But ignoring that, it was heaps of fun, highly entertaining,
and a great experience to be a part of.
