Palace releases new portrait of queen by Annie Leibovitz

Prince Philip, Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, wore a bearskin and scarlet tunic.

The parade route goes from Buckingham Palace to the The Mall to Horse Guards Parade to Whitehall and back again.

Prince Harry, Kate and Prince William at the service.

Joining the Queen at the service were more than 50 members of the royal family, including Prince William, the Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Harry.

The event was attended by a star-studded congregation comprising David Attenborough, Clare Balding, former prime ministers John Major and Tony Blair and senior figures of the Cabinet including Chancellor George Osborne, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and PM David Cameron.

The ceremony dates back to the time of Charles II in the 17th Century when the Colours of a regiment were used as a rallying point in battle.

The Queen was dressed in a vibrant green coat and dress by Stewart Parvin and a matching hat by Rachel Trevor Morgan. She topped off the look with her Brigade of Guards brooch.

The colour of Number 7 Company Coldstream Guards was paraded past the troops, an ancient tradition thought to originate from the practice of marching banners past soldiers so they could identify the flag they were fighting under.

The annual Trooping the Color will take place on June 11 – an impressive display where over 1,400 officers and men parade together with 200 horses and more than 400 musicians.

He will be playing the trombone during the event while on horseback and among the audience of thousands watching the spectacle will be Second World War veteran Fergus Anckorn, 97, whose story was the focus of the serviceman’s magic trick that earned him the title.

But no doubt it will be mentioned at the annual Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday.

He said: “It’s great to be here, I’ve never seen Trooping the Colour before, this week I’ve already been to the Japanese Embassy and Buckingham Palace”.

The pillow part, well, that’s probably just because everyone wants to hug the royal and her corgis, but can’t.

The Queen inspects the troops, as her carriage slowly drives down the ranks of all the guards.

Other members of the extended royal family also attended the big day, including Prince Andrew the Duke of York, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie of York, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, the Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, the Princess Royal (a.k.a. Princess Anne) and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and the Duke and Duchess of Kent.

Earlier in the day, the Royal Family set off for Horse Guards in a series of carriages at around 10.45, followed shortly after by the Sovereign’s procession, with The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, and accompanied by the Household Cavalry.