17 June 2023 , 06:45
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Seventy military aircraft will fly over Buckingham Palace today (Saturday, June 17) in the RAF Red Arrows flypast - rescheduled due to bad weather during King Charles's Coronation last month.
Charles's first Trooping the Colour as monarch will see the King gather with his senior royal family, including Queen Camilla, Prince William and Kate Middleton to witness the parade.
The parade itself will consist of more than 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians, and the flypast, which is formed of 70 incredible military aircraft.
RAF's Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton said: "We are very proud to be able to showcase our capabilities to our Commander-in-Chief, on this historic occasion for His Majesty The King.
“We have planned a fitting and appropriate tribute for our monarch, that should be a true spectacle for the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth."
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Exact route of the RAF Red Arrows flypast
Red Arrows regularly perform the incredible stunt ahead of major events, like this one before England's UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Final (Getty Images)The 70 pieces of aircraft will officially pull together their formation over the South East of England ready to fly past Buckingham palace.
If the plan is exactly the same as the Coronation flypast, you will be able to see them as far as Norfolk, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire. The exact route is yet to be officially confirmed for security reasons, but the Military Air Shows has revealed an air restrictions map which shows the expected official route.
It is thought the planes will leave the North Sea area at around 11:45am and start making their way inland by going through different parts of the country thereafter.
East Anglia and Essex
The jets will then make their way through East Anglia, going above areas such as Ipswich in Suffolk and Thetford in Norfolk from 12:15pm. They will then pass through Colchester, Chelmsford and other parts of Essex.
London
They will be seen over the capital from 12:40pm, usually entering the city via Hainult Country Park and heading to Stratford then over Buckingham Palace at 1pm. This will be a key part of the show and you will most likely be able to see them over the capital until around 1:15pm.
Berkshire and Surrey
Royal Air Force performed the flypast as part of the Platinum Jubilee last year (Getty Images)The flypast will then make its way over to Berkshire and Surrey from 12:50pm. It will then start to disperse as the flypast comes to an end.
Those living in the following areas, though, should be able to catch a glimpse of the Red Arrows - if the skies are clear.
- Swindon and the surrounding Wiltshire area
- Oxfordshire
- Gloucestershire
- Wiltshire
Aircraft from all three Armed Services will take part in the iconic flypast including historic jets, helicopters, combat air, air transport, training and display aircraft.
The event will feature a mix of aircraft, ranging from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, the C-130 Hercules, multiple Typhoon fighter jet aircraft and the Envoy IV CC1, the latter making its flypast debut.
At the front of the flypast will be a Juno HT and the famous Red Arrows will perform their tradition show of red, white and blue smoke.
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