Sikh guardsman becomes first to wear turban during Trooping the Colour
'I hope that people watching will just acknowledge it and that they will look at it as a new change in history'
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A Sikh Coldstream Guards soldier who became the first to wear a turban during the Trooping the Colour parade said he hoped it would seen as “a new change in history”.
More than 1,000 soldiers took part in the ceremony which marked the Queen's official 92nd birthday.
It was the first time Guardsman Charanpreet Singh Lall has taken part in the ceremony and he was the first in his regiment to do so while wearing a turban.
"I hope that people watching, that they will just acknowledge it and that they will look at it as a new change in history,” said 22-year-old from Leicester before the parade.
"I hope that more people like me, not just Sikhs but from other religions and different backgrounds, that they will be encouraged to join the Army."
Gdsm Lall, who joined the British Army in January 2016, was born in Punjab, India, before moving to the UK as a baby.
The turban worn during Trooping the Colour wasbe black, featuring the ceremonial cap star to match the bearskin hats worn by the other soldiers.
"I'm quite proud and I know that a lot of other people are proud of me as well," he said. "It is a good feeling... there's going to be a lot of eyes and I am going to have an influence on other people."
Trooping the Colour originated from traditional preparations for battle.
Colours, or flags, were carried, or ‘trooped’, down the ranks so they could be seen and recognised by the soldiers.
In the 18th century, guards from the Royal palaces assembled daily on Horse Guards to "troop the colours", and in 1748 it was announced the parade would also mark the Sovereign's official birthday.
This year the ceremony, which is staged every June in London's historic Horse Guards Parade, saw the Colour of the 1st Battalion the Coldstream Guards being trooped.
"Being the first turban-wearing Sikh to troop the colour and to be part of the escort is a really high honour for myself, and hopefully for everyone else as well,” he said.
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