The royal parade was supposed to celebrate King Charles’s official birthday. Instead, the most striking images came from the crowd—protesters holding bright yellow signs that read Not My King, Down With the Crown, and Ditch the Duchies. While the BBC focused on horses, carriages, and balcony waves, independent photojournalist Mark Kerrison captured the reality on the ground. The crowd appeared dominated by tourists. It was dominated by tourists and flanked by protesters.

Trooping the Colour has always been about performance. It shows off tradition, military precision, and the royal brand. But this year, the illusion cracked. The monarchy wanted to project strength. What the world saw instead was dissent.

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The Parade Staged A Moment, But Protesters Delivered The Message

Media outlets repeated the same narrative: a glorious royal event, solemn in tone due to the Air India tribute, yet full of resilience and unity. The King wore a black armband and rode in a carriage instead of on horseback, citing ongoing cancer treatment. Right-wing publications focused on family moments and royal duty. Center-leaning sources highlighted the spectacle and history. Only a handful acknowledged what Kerrison’s lens made impossible to ignore.

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Republic activists lined the Mall with bold protest signs. They weren’t disruptive. They were present, visible, and determined. As King Charles, Queen Camilla, and the Wales family rode past in polished carriages, the protest signs towered behind them. Social media posts from Republic’s Graham Smith confirmed that the King saw them—and heard them.

Kerrison, who walked freely along the Mall minutes before the parade, noted that the majority of spectators were tourists. British citizens weren’t turning out in force. They were staying home, indifferent or quietly discontent. The BBC’s camera angles cropped out dissent. But the photos tell another story: fewer locals, louder protests, and a monarchy clinging to relevance through ceremony alone.

Public Interest In The Monarchy Continues To Shrink

The monarchy’s defenders like to point to polls. But even those are no longer reassuring. A 2024 YouGov survey showed that only 45% of Britons still support the monarchy, with 36% favoring a republic. The gap continues to close, especially among young people. Gen Z and Millennials are more likely to feel ambivalent or hostile toward royal institutions. When they think of the monarchy, they don’t see national pride—they see inherited privilege.

Much of the remaining goodwill died with Queen Elizabeth II. Prince Philip, Prince Harry, and Meghan Sussex once offered different entry points for public connection. Now, they’re either gone or exiled. What remains is a royal family trying to sell unity, while the public sees performance.

The meme comparing King Charles and Donald Trump—both aging billionaires, both demanding military displays for their birthdays—struck a nerve online. What once looked like royal dignity now resembles political vanity. The royal family wanted to offer a vision of continuity. Protesters offered a reminder that Britain has a choice.

The Crown Can’t Hide Behind Parades Forever

Trooping the Colour 2025 showcased uniforms, horses, and flypasts. But none of it could disguise the reality. The monarchy faces a crisis of meaning. The pageantry may please foreign tourists and right-wing tabloids, but for many in Britain, it now feels hollow. When protest signs outshine palace processions, something deeper is shifting.

Public support for the working royals is eroding. And no amount of pomp can paper over that.

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