Image: Trooping the Color 2017

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Royal Family Celebrates Queen's Birthday with Trooping of the Color Parade

The Queen's 91st Birthday began with silence to commemorate recent UK atrocities, followed by traditional royal pomp and circumstance.

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Image: Trooping the Color 2017

Britain's Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip observe a minute's silence in the quadrangle of Buckingham Palace, for the Grenfell Tower fire disaster, ahead of the Trooping the Color ceremony in London on June 17, 2017.

The ceremony of Trooping the Color is believed to have first been performed during the reign of King Charles II. In 1748, it was decided that the parade would be used to mark the official birthday of the Sovereign. More than 600 guardsmen and cavalry make up the parade, a celebration of the Sovereign's official birthday, although the Queen's actual birthday is on April 21.

— Hugo Burnand / Buckingham Palace via Reuters
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Guardsmen march down the Mall during Trooping the Color.

— Toby Melville / Reuters
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Guardsmen play drums while marching in the parade.

The annual ceremony dates back to the 17th Century when the Colors of a regiment were used as a rallying point in battle.

— Jack Taylor / Getty Images
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The Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, fly in formation over The Mall and Buckingham Palace during a flypast for the parade.

— Corporal Neil Chapman (RAF) / via AFP - Getty Images
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Britain's Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip ride in a horse-drawn carriage.

— Toby Melville / Reuters
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Members of the Irish Guards parading down the mall during the Trooping the Color.

Domhnall, an Irish wolfhound, is the mascot of the Irish Guards and walks with the Guards during the parade down The Mall.

— Sgt Rupert Frere / Crown Copyright/MOD via AP
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Britain's Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (L), Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Britain's Prince Harry (R) travel in a horse-drawn carriage on their way to Horse Guards Parade.

— Chris J Ratcliffe / AFP - Getty Images
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Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, leaves Buckingham Palace during the parade.

— Facundo Arrizabalaga / EPA
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Guardsmen ride on horses in the parade.

— Jack Taylor / Getty Images
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The Royal Guard perform in the parade.

The annual parade marks when the Queen's Color is 'Trooped' in front of Her Majesty and all the Royal Colonels.

— Sgt Rupert Frere / Crown Copyright/MOD via EPA
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Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh return to Buckingham Palace after attending the parade.

— Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP
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(L-R) Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, Prince George of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge look out from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

— Chris Jackson / Getty Images
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The Red Arrows fly in formation over The Mall towards Buckingham Palace during a flypast for the Queen's Birthday Parade.

— Cpl Tim Laurence / Crown Copyright/MOD via AFP - Getty Images
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