King Charles III honored the victims of the recent Air India plane crash during the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony on Saturday, June 14, 2025. The King, along with other members of the royal family, wore black armbands and observed a minute of silence as a mark of respect for the lives lost in the tragic aviation disaster.

The Trooping the Colour parade, a historic military tradition that marks the British sovereign's official birthday, proceeded with amendments at the King's request. Buckingham Palace stated that these changes were implemented "as a mark of respect for the lives lost, the families in mourning and all the communities affected by this awful tragedy." The event, characterized by military pomp and pageantry, took place on Horse Guards Parade adjacent to St. James's Park in central London.

The Air India flight, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner en route to London's Gatwick Airport from Ahmedabad, crashed shortly after takeoff on Thursday, June 12, 2025. The disaster claimed the lives of 279 people, including passengers, crew, and individuals on the ground. Among the victims were 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese citizens, and one Canadian. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British man from Leicester, was identified as the sole survivor.

King Charles expressed his condolences in a written message following the crash, stating he was "desperately shocked by the terrible events" and conveying his "deepest possible sympathy" to the families and friends of those affected. He also paid tribute to the "heroic efforts of the emergency services and all those providing help and support at this most heartbreaking and traumatic time."

During the Trooping the Colour ceremony, the King and Queen Camilla traveled in a carriage from Buckingham Palace, leading a procession down The Mall to Horse Guards Parade. The Prince and Princess of Wales' children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, also appeared in a carriage with their mother, Catherine, drawing cheers from the crowd. The royal colonels, including the Prince of Wales, Princess Royal, and the Duke of Edinburgh, rode behind the King, all wearing black armbands.

Senior officers participating in the Trooping the Colour, as well as coachmen and women from the Royal Mews, also wore black armbands to honor the crash victims. The minute's silence was observed after the King inspected the guardsmen on the parade ground, signaled by a bugler sounding the Last Post and ending with the Reveille.

The Trooping the Colour ceremony dates back centuries, involving the display of battalion flags, known as colors, to soldiers for recognition. The event has evolved into a significant public spectacle, drawing crowds to witness the military precision and royal pageantry. In 2017, Queen Elizabeth II similarly marked the Trooping the Colour with a minute's silence to honor the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire in London.