King Charles And Prince William's Trooping The Colour 2025 Uniforms Featured This Tragic Accessory

The official birthday celebration of British's reigning monarch is an annual spectacle of epic proportions. However, Trooping the Colour 2025 wasn't only about pomp, splendor, and celebration. This year, King Charles III and William, Prince of Wales, broke with the official royal protocol by adding a tragic accessory to their uniforms. The royals paid their respects to victims of the June 12 Air India plane crash by wearing black armbands to honor the estimated 270 passengers and bystanders who died in the accident.

India officially gained independence from British rule in 1947. Still, Charles remains the head of the Commonwealth, a group of 15 nations (14 of which are former British colonies) that he presides over, including India, with whom Britain maintains strong ties. To further mark the tragic accident, Charles also incorporated a minute of silence into the event to remember those who lost their lives.

The catastrophe hit even closer to home because the one surviving passenger is a British citizen. Vishwashkumar Ramesh was sitting in seat 11A on the flight from Ahmedabad to London. He told the Indian state media news outlet DD News that he managed to smash through the emergency exit door after the plane crashed shortly after take-off. "I managed to unbuckle myself, used my leg to push through that opening, and crawled out," he said on June 13.

King Charles III honored the victims of the tragic Air India crash by adding a tragic accessory to his uniform and a somber moment to his annual birthday parade as thousands of hoi polloi crowded on the streets to watch the proceedings go down.

However, there was still plenty of celebration to be had, featuring music, drumming, and British tradition at its finest as hundreds from the armed forces clad in traditional red jackets, black pants, and high, fuzzy bearskins marched in total sync. Oh and there was also plenty of behind-the-scenes drama because, of course, there was; we'd expect nothing less from the royal family.

The main subject of speculation and conjecture before the event was — surprise, surprise — Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Tabloid speculation over Meghan's Trooping the Color plans was at a fever pitch. At this point, nobody expected Meghan to turn up in person (especially since she and Prince Harry weren't invited for the third year in a row), but would she stay at home, kick up her heels, and watch the event on TV? Or would she try and steal the show from overseas, hogging the headlines and thumbing her nose at her warring in-laws? Unfortunately for Meghan, although she was set to be honored for her work championing women, the event was canceled due to immigration protests.