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VH-HET 1945 Supermarine Spitfire HF.VIII RAF as MV239 RAAF A58-758 Marked up as A58-602 RG-V Grey Nurse
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LONDON, June 14 — Britain’s King Charles has celebrated his official birthday with a ceremony showcasing the British Army’s ceremonial prowess.

Charles took part in the famous Trooping the Colour ceremony, where military pomp and pageantry were on display in the heart of the capital, PA Media/dpa reported.

Catherine, princess of Wales, and her children joined Queen Camilla and thousands of spectators to view the spectacle featuring some of the nation’s most prestigious regiments.

Future king Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, eight, watched their grandfather from the first-floor window of the Duke of Wellington’s former office overlooking the parade ground in central London.

Trooping the Colour is as much a social occasion as a ceremonial event, and the stands at Horse Guards Parade were filled with about 8,000 family members of the guards and officers on parade.

Crowds had gathered to watch the royal family’s carriage procession from Buckingham Palace with Charles and Camilla in the middle of a Sovereign’s Escort provided by the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment.

Riding behind the King were the royal colonels — the prince of Wales, who is colonel of the Welsh Guards; the princess royal, colonel of the Blues and Royals; and the duke of Edinburgh as colonel of the Scots Guards.

The route was lined for the first time by personnel from all three military services, including units from the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards to the 26 Engineer Regiment, 16th and 4th Regiments Royal Artillery, the Royal Lancers, the RAF Regiment and the Royal Navy.

The King’s first duty was to inspect the troops, and he was followed by the royal colonels William, Anne and Edward as he travelled in a carriage past service personnel with the queen.

In summer sunshine, Charles’s carriage passed the ranks of just over a thousand guardsmen from the Grenadier, Scots, Irish and Coldstream Guards regiments. The Welsh Guards were represented by their band because their troops are on operational training.

The colour — the regimental flag — being trooped this year is the King’s Colour of the Grenadier Guards, presented by Charles earlier this week during a Buckingham Palace ceremony. It will be escorted during Saturday’s spectacle by guardsmen from the King’s Company.

The head of state always wears the uniform of the regiment trooping its colour, and was dressed in a Grenadier Guards tunic and forage cap.

Members of the British military in ceremonial dress watch the Red Arrows flypast from Horse Guards Parade during Trooping the Colour, marking King Charles’s official birthday, in London, June 13, 2026. — Reuters pic

Camilla honoured her regiment in a red silk crêpe Grenadier Guards uniform dress by Fiona Clare, paired with a black beret with a white plume by Philip Treacy, featuring her Grenadier Guards cap badge and a Grenadier Guards brooch on her shoulder.

In centuries past, colours — or flags — were carried or “trooped” down the ranks so soldiers would recognise them on the battlefield.

In the 18th century, guards from the royal palaces assembled daily on Horse Guards to “troop the colours” and it was around that time that it was decided the parade would also mark the sovereign’s official birthday.

The King’s actual birthday is on November 14, when he will turn 78.

The Grenadier Guards are celebrating their 370th anniversary and have a close affinity with the monarch because they were raised in 1656 in Bruges, Belgium, by the exiled king Charles II to protect him during the period Oliver Cromwell ruled England.

Since their formation, the guardsmen — known for their scarlet tunics and bearskin hats — have fought in every major conflict in British military history from the 17th century Battle of Tangiers, to Blenheim, Waterloo, the Crimean War, through both world wars, to recent operations in Afghanistan.

Today, the regiment is formed of fighting soldiers who carry out a specialist light infantry role during operations and when in the UK take part in high-profile ceremonial duties.

During the ceremony, the colour was first trooped through the ranks of soldiers before the guardsmen marched past the King, first in slow and then in quick time.

As the colours passed the royal dais Charles, Camilla and Kate stood with the King saluting. — Bernama-PA Media/dpa

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State admits former Greens candidate entitled to damages and agrees to pay medical costs, but denies malicious prosecution and malfeasance in public office

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The state of New South Wales has admitted that a police officer punched Hannah Thomas in the eye while holding a torch at a pro-Palestine protest – and it has offered to pay her medical costs.

Court documents seen by Guardian Australia reveal the state has admitted to false imprisonment and battery in its defence to a civil action launched by the former Greens candidate in October.

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New South Wales police commissioner Mal Lanyon is among witnesses expected to appear at the six-week trial in July next year

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Twenty-five people who were charged after they protested against the visit of the Israeli president will face a six-week joint trial in July next year.

The protesters had their matters heard before Downing centre local court on Thursday after their lawyers made a successful application for the joint hearing, arguing there were common legal issues across the cases.

Charlie Verco managed to grab hold of the woman and bring her back to shore after the Sydney shark attack on Saturday

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Elite paddleboarder Charlie Verco has only seen one shark bigger than the one he saw on Saturday at Sydney’s Coogee beach.

The North Bondi athlete was training for July’s world championships in Hawaii on Saturday morning when he heard a swimmer shouting “shark”.

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The prime minister and foreign minister have issued a lengthier statement welcoming the agreement made by the US and Iran, and called for continued restraint to avoid further escalation.

President Donald Trump made the announcement he had signed a deal this morning, saying the strait of Hormuz would be reopened.

Continued restraint and constructive engagement will be essential to prevent further escalation and secure a lasting agreement. We are pleased the agreement between the US and Iran includes steps to reopening the Strait of Hormuz …

We encourage all parties to use this opportunity to pursue a durable and lasting peace through dialogue and diplomacy. Iran must address longstanding concerns about its nuclear program and the threat it poses to international security.

Woman, 58, was last heard from Monday afternoon and her car was found the next day

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A man has been charged over the alleged kidnapping and murder of a woman whose body is yet to be found.

Police have been investigating the disappearance of a 58-year-old woman who failed to returned to her home in Sydney’s north-west on Tuesday.

A woman in her 30s has been transported to hospital with arm and leg injuries and beaches in Sydney’s east have been closed after the attack

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A woman in her 30s is in a critical condition after being bitten by a large shark at Coogee beach on Saturday, with a witness describing the scene at the popular Sydney beach as “shocking”.

A spokesperson for New South Wales Ambulance said the woman suffered arm and leg injuries and had been taken by road to St Vincent’s hospital.