![](http://www.alamy.com/thumbs/6/E18F085B-6755-4A96-8B54-C2CF46155060/BPKXC0.jpg)
Irish Guards' mascot Irish Wolfhound "Conmeal" and his handler, followed by Drum Major W Harvey, Irish Guards
"Conmeal", the mascot of the Irish Guards, a four years old Irish Wolfhound with his handler, followed by the first of the five Drum Majors, Drum Major W Harvey (?), Irish Guards, leading the Irish Guards Band onto Horse Guard Parade. They are walking on Horse Guards Road, with St. James's Park on the right, and just passed the Guards Memorial. The Irish Guards are the only Guards regiment allowed to have their mascot lead them on parade. At "Trooping the Colour", the dog marches from Wellington Barracks to Horse Guard parade only, and does not take part in the parade itself. This photo was taken with a Canon 1D Mk IV and a Canon 600mm/f4 lens. "Trooping the Colour" is a traditional military ceremony going back to the 17th century. The "Colour" (the regimental flag) is presented (trooped) to the soldiers, so they could remember their flag, usually a rallying point, in the heat of battle. Since 1748 the parade also marks the official birthday of the British Sovereign, so it is "The Queen's Birthday Parade", held every second Saturday in June. All the above is based on information from the official programme, the web site , the BBC productions "Trooping the Colour 2010" and "For Queen and Country", and Wikipedia. For corrections please contact directly.
Size: 4898px × 3265px
Location: Horse Guards Parade, Westminster, London SW1, Greater London, United Kingdom
Photo credit: © Harald Joergens (Armed Forces) / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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