LONDON (AP) — King Charles III and members of the royal family are set to wear black armbands and observe a moment of silence during the annual Trooping the Colour parade on Saturday. This solemn gesture is intended to honor those who lost their lives in the Air India plane crash that occurred earlier this week.
According to Buckingham Palace, King Charles requested these symbolic tributes "as a mark of respect for the lives lost, the families in mourning, and all the communities affected by this awful tragedy." The incident involved an Air India flight that crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad, a city in northwestern India, en route to London on Thursday. The tragic event resulted in the deaths of 241 individuals aboard the flight, along with at least 29 fatalities on the ground. Among the passengers were 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese citizens, and one Canadian, with only one survivor reported.
Beyond his role as Britain’s head of state, King Charles also serves as the head of the Commonwealth, a collection of independent nations that includes both India and Canada. This connection underscores the significance of his commemorative actions during the parade.
The Trooping the Colour ceremony is a historic and vibrant event that features military bands and an array of pageantry. The king traditionally reviews his troops on Horse Guards Parade, located adjacent to St. James’ Park in central London. This year, all participating members of the royal family will don black armbands during the event as a visible sign of their mourning.
The moment of silence is scheduled to take place while King Charles is on the dais after he has reviewed the troops. This poignant moment echoes a similar tribute made by the late Queen Elizabeth II during the 2017 Trooping the Colour, following the devastating Grenfell Tower fire in west London, which claimed the lives of 72 people.
The decision to incorporate a moment of silence into such a public and festive occasion reflects the royal family's commitment to acknowledging and honoring tragic events that impacts communities within the United Kingdom and beyond. As the country engages in celebrations of the monarch's birthday, the somber reminders of loss serve to unite the public in shared grief and respect for those affected.
