During GB News's coverage of Trooping the Colour, National Reporter Charlie Peters made an unexpected personal discovery while broadcasting from the ceremony.
As the Household Cavalry band prepared for their performance at Horse Guards Parade, Charlie recognised a familiar connection.
The journalist revealed on air that his former clarinet teacher from his schooldays was participating in the King's birthday parade.
Charlie spotted the connection whilst checking details about the military musicians taking part in the traditional ceremony.
Charlie Peters revealed a personal connection to the parade
|GB NEWS
His surprise discovery added a personal dimension to the broadcaster's coverage of the royal event. The revelation came as military bands assembled for their central role in the annual celebration marking the sovereign's official birthday.
Charlie identified his former instructor as Alex Groves, who now holds the position of Band Corporal Major in the Household Cavalry band. Speaking during the live broadcast, Charlie said: "We saw the band of the Household Cavalry coming forward to prepare for the drive past."
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He continued: "Just checking online. My clarinet teacher as a schoolboy, Alex Groves, was part of the Household Cavalry band."
The GB News fan-favourite then confirmed Groves's current senior role within the military ensemble.
Princess Kate stands beside King Charles and Queen Camilla at Trooping the Colour"I've just checked and he is now the band Corporal Major. A warrant officer in there. He will be in the centre of that square [Horse Guards Parade] right now," Charlie told viewers.
The discovery highlighted how Groves had progressed from teaching young musicians to serving as a warrant officer in one of Britain's most prestigious military bands.
This year's Trooping the Colour ceremony featured modifications ordered by King Charles following the recent Air India disaster. The monarch directed important adjustments to the traditional royal event as a mark of respect for the victims.
The changes echo previous occasions when the ceremony has been adapted during times of national mourning. Similar alterations were made following the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017.
King Charles arrives on parade for Trooping the Colour | GB NewsThe King attended the ceremony wearing the garter sash and full uniform, though he did not participate on horseback as in previous years. Historical records show he previously rode a horse called Noble, which proved somewhat unpredictable during the parade.
Military bands remain central to the ceremony, performing the traditional music that accompanies the parade of colours before the sovereign.
The ceremony's military bands have long played an essential role in the pageantry, with horses and riders requiring careful preparation for the event.
Even experienced horses can prove temperamental during the parade, with handlers sometimes resorting to extra strong mints to ensure good behaviour.
The tradition of wearing specific royal cyphers adds historical significance to the uniforms worn during the ceremony. Prince Philip famously continued wearing King George VI's cypher throughout his public life as a mark of honour to the late king.
The Household Cavalry band, where Charlie's former teacher now serves, forms part of the ceremonial heart of the parade. Their precision performances at Horse Guards Parade represent centuries of military musical tradition accompanying the formal presentation of colours to the monarch.