William gets in the saddle for Queen’s celebrations

SHARP-EYED tourists outside Buckingham Palace were afforded the rare opportunity at the weekend to see Prince William on horseback.

But even those in the vicinity might well have missed him, since his well-known face was obscured by a traditional bearskin hat.

The prince was taking part in a rehearsal for next week’s trooping of the colour, a major event to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s official birthday.

The Queen turned 85 in April, but the public party for the monarch’s birthday is held on a Saturday in June to ensure better weather.

The custom dates from 1748, and will take place on Saturday, June 11 this year.

William, riding a gray horse called Wellesley, was wearing the red Irish Guards tunic with blue sash that he wore at his April 29 wedding to Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey.

William, 28, was made Colonel of the Irish Guards in February. He is expected to wear the same outfit at the actual trooping the colour ceremony, which usually draws thousands of well-wishers to the ceremonial heart of London.

The event, which is officially known as the Colonel’s Review, is the second of two rehearsals for the Queen’s birthday festivities.

After the celebrations, William and his new wife, now formally known as Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, are intending to visit Canada and California in late June and early July.

They will visit several cities in Canada from June 30 to July 8, travelling through much of the longstanding Commonwealth country on their first official overseas trip as a married couple.

They also plan to stop and visit Los Angeles and the surrounding area from July 8-10.