The monarch hopes the stunt will boost the nation’s spirits, a tabloid insider claimed (Picture: AFP)
For his annual birthday parade, King Charles has reportedly invited quite the party animal.
Literally. The monarch is hoping to saddle up on his horse for the Trooping of the Colour ceremony in June.
Less than 18 months into his reign, the king was diagnosed with cancer – casting a shadow of uncertainty on the royals still reeling from the death of Queen Elizabeth.
But The Sun has reported that he hopes to ride his mare, Noble, for the Trooping of the Colour event.
An insider told the tabloid that Charles is hoping to get approval from his ‘nervous’ doctors and royal aides to do the stunt.
‘It is a sign of the King’s desire to get back to work and follow the mantra of the late Queen Elizabeth II that a monarch needs to be seen,’ the source said.
Charles’ horse is pretty aptly called Noble (Picture: Reuters)
‘The King wants to lead from the front.’
Medical professionals, according to the source, will need to check if it is safe for Charles to mount a horse while undergoing cancer treatment.
‘But the King rightly believes it is important he is at least there in some capacity,’ they added.
His mother, Elizabeth, retired her Canadian-bred black mare who she rode for nearly two decades in 1986; she felt Burmese was simply too old.
At seven years old, however, Charles’s black mare is ready and rearing to go.
As is the king, who will attend his first public duty since his diagnosis by visiting a cancer treatment centre with Queen Camilla on Tuesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police offered the king Noble in March last year as part of a tradition dating back to 1904.
Speaking of tradition, Charles, like all monarchs, has two birthdays: an official birthday as part of a public celebration and a more private real birthday.
In his case, Charles’ public birthday that Trooping of the Colour will mark is June 17, while his actual birthday in which he will turn 74 is November 14.
All 8,000 tickets for the royal event have sold out, where well-wishers will gather in Horse Guards Parade by London’s Whitehall for a day of military grandeur.
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