TOPSHOTS Members of the British royal family (L-R) Queen Elizabeth II, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, Prince Harry, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, watch the fly-past as they stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the Trooping the Colour - Queen Elizabeth II's Birthday Parade, at The Royal Horseguards in London on June 14, 2014. The ceremony of Trooping the Colour is believed to have first been performed during the reign of King Charles II. In 1748, it was decided that the parade would be used to mark the official birthday of the Sovereign. More than 600 guardsmen and cavalry make up the parade, a celebration of the Sovereign's official birthday, although the Queen's actual birthday is on 21 April. AFP PHOTO / LEON NEAL