THE QUEEN will draw big crowds tomorrow (Saturday 12 June) when her carriage rolls down The Mall as part of the celebrations for her official birthday.


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Tickets for the main part of the event, when Her Majesty is greeted by phalanxes of ceremonially decked out soldiers on Horse Guards Parade, were snapped up months ago, but bag a spot on The Mall early enough and you’ll still get a real eyeful of royal heritage.

The procession leaves Buckingham Palace onto The Mall at 10.45am and returns at about 12.30pm.

In between, for the Trooping the Colour at Horse Guards, ticketless royal fans are best advised to watch things on TV, which carries live footage of the morning’s events.

Trooping of the Colour started in the early 17th century; ‘colour’ refers to the regimental flags carried in front of the monarch, who combines the military extravaganza with her official birthday, one of the two birthdays enjoyed each year by the lucky sovereign.

HM’s real birthday, as pub quiz types will know, is on 21 April.