The Red Arrows will follow a circular route around eastern and southeastern England, including London, that sees them set off from and return to RAF Waddington in Lincoln
The iconic Red Arrows are once again set to light up the UK’s skies this weekend in celebration of Trooping the Colour.
The historic regal event, also known as The Birthday Parade, marks the monarch’s official birthday in June and has been a regular tradition for centuries.
The sovereign’s procession is set to take place in London at Horse Guards Parade on Saturday, with thousands of royal fans expected to flood the Mall.
The RAF Aerobatic Team are ready to wow fans with their incredible acrobatic moves as the legendary jets help celebrate the occasion.
Pilots are expected to guide their planes over several hundred miles of land as the flypast concludes the day’s events, heading over Buckingham Palace from 1pm.
The impressive display will gather outside the city before forming up. The aircraft will take off from RAF Waddington, which is south of Lincoln, before heading south towards the village of Little Hale, and turning eastwards, flying over Boston and around the Norfolk and Suffolk coast at about 11am on Saturday.
The aircraft will fly in a holding pattern as they head West to the city. Shortly after midday, the jets will be seen over Ipswich, before flying over Colchester, Chelmsford and Reading.
The Flypast will be seen in north west London shortly before 1pm, as they make their way to the heart of the capital for the showcase event.
As they exit London after, the planes will leave through Hounslow and Feltham before heading north over Windsor and Slough. Their route will continue in a straight line until reaching Northampton, where they will slightly adjust and head towards Colsterworth.
What is Trooping the Colour?
The annual event of Trooping the Colour has marked the official birthday of the King or Queen for more than 260 years. The ceremony involves hundreds of horses and soldiers carrying out complex battlefield drill manoeuvres to military music.
During the parade, the royals will travel from Buckingham Palace down The Mall to Horse Guards Parade in a procession – either on horseback or in carriages. At Horse Guards, they then watch the military display before joining the procession back to Buckingham Palace once it is over.
After the parade, the royals then gather on the Palace balcony for a march-past and the fly-past by the RAF, which includes the Red Arrows, and will conclude the day’s celebrations.
Flypast Route Map and timings
The Military Airshow website has revealed the exact route the Red Arrows will take for the Trooping the Colour flypast on June 13, along with a handy map.
The map clearly shows each of the different areas, with the following information given as a guide on when you can expect to see the jets in the sky.
- Area A – (between 11.00 & 2.00pm BST, up to 10,000ft)
- Area B – (between 12.30 & 1.25pm BST, up to 5,000ft)
- Area C – (between 12.35 & 1.25pm BST, up to 4,000ft)
- Area D – (between 12.35 & 1.25pm BST, up to 3,000ft)
- Area E – (between 12.40 & 1.25pm BST, up to 2,500ft)
- Area F – (between 12.40 & 1.25pm BST, up to 2,500ft)
- Area G – (between 1.00 & 1.40pm BST, up to 2,500ft)
- Area H – (between 1.00 & 1.40pm BST, up to 2,500ft)
- Area I – (between 1.00 & 1.40pm BST, up to 2,500ft)
Which royals are expected?
Usually, most of the members of the Royal Family appear at the event, and Brits are expecting to see young royals Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis make a rare public appearances. It has not been confirmed as yet by Buckingham Palace which royals will appear on the balcony for the RAF flypast.
From 2024, the balcony was limited to working royals only – meaning there was no place for the King’s younger disgraced brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor nor his estranged son Prince Harry.
