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Summary
The Queen has marked her 84th official birthday at the Trooping the Colour parade in central London. Hundreds of soldiers took part in the annual display of military pomp and pageantry on London's Horse Guards Parade. She was joined by the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, her grandson Prince William and other members of the royal family. The 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards were parading their flag colour this year. Many of the battalion's soldiers returned from Afghanistan two months ago. After the Queen took the salute on Horse Guards, the royal family headed back to Buckingham Palace where they watched a 30-aircraft strong RAF flypast. The flypast was led by The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight - one of the events staged to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the battle. A Hurricane and Spitfire were the first planes to soar over the members of the royal family as they gathered on the Buckingham Palace balcony. Earlier, Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha were among thousands of spectators who watched the trooping ceremony at Horse Guards. The Colonel of the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, the Duke of Edinburgh, paid tribute to the armed forces. The Queen's actual birthday was on 21 April. The tradition of two birthdays dates back to the time when, if monarchs were born in winter, the weather was deemed unsuitable for outdoor events. Traditionally before battle, colours - or flags - were carried, or trooped, along the rank of soldiers so they could be seen and recognised. In 1748, it was decided the trooping would also be used to honour the sovereign's birthday. The Queen first took the royal salute in 1951 when she deputised for her father King George VI when he was sick. She has attended every ceremony bar one in 1955 when there was a national rail strike. Earlier the Queen's Birthday Honours were announced, with actress Catherine Zeta Jones, cookery writer Pru Leith and Jimmy Choo brand founder Tamara Mellon among those receiving awards.
