London - A solemn tribute was held on Saturday during the Trooping the Colour parade, the official birthday celebration of King Charles III, as a minute’s silence honoured the victims of the recent tragic Air India plane crash.

The disaster, which claimed 279 lives including 52 British citizens, unfolded when a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, India, en route to London’s Gatwick Airport. Among the few survivors is British man Vishwash Kumar Ramesh from Leicester, England.

Buckingham Palace confirmed that King Charles, 76, personally requested changes to the parade to pay respects “to the lives lost, the families in mourning and all communities affected by this terrible tragedy.” Several members of the royal family wore black armbands as a mark of mourning.

In a heartfelt message after the crash, the king expressed his “deepest possible sympathy” and said he was “desperately shocked by the terrible events.”

Trooping the Colour, a centuries-old military ceremony dating back over 200 years, marks the monarch’s official birthday each June, regardless of the actual birthdate. This year’s parade took place under the watchful eyes of hundreds gathered along The Mall in central London, witnessing the royal salute and inspection of troops.

Among the royal family in attendance were Queen Camilla, heir Prince William, the Princess of Wales Catherine, and their three children: George, Charlotte, and Louis. The event also highlighted the princess’s inspiring return to public life after her own recent cancer battle.

Notably absent from the parade were Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and have since relocated to the United States amid ongoing tensions with the royal family.

While London honoured the Air India victims and the royal birthday, across the Atlantic, US President Donald Trump marked his 79th birthday with a large military parade in Washington, D.C.