Two at Queen’s Birthday Parade Held on Weapons Charges

Two men were arrested on weapons charges Saturday at Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday parade before the monarch arrived to review troops massed near Buckingham Palace, police said.

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said the men, who were not identified, were being questioned about “suspected offensive weapons.” She would not say what type of weapons.

Police refused to comment on reports the men were carrying tear gas canisters as they stood among hundreds of people gathered for the annual military pageant known as Trooping the Color.

The Press Association, the British domestic news agency, said the men never went near Elizabeth or the other dignitaries attending the event.

The ceremony, which is televised nationwide, marks the monarch’s official birthday. Elizabeth was born on April 21, 1926, but her official birthday is celebrated in June on the chance of better weather. On Saturday, it was overcast and 59 degrees.

Break with Tradition

Breaking an 18-year-old tradition, Queen Elizabeth reviewed the Household Guards in an open carriage drawn by two horses. In previous years, she rode a horse sidesaddle to inspect the troops.

Buckingham Palace said the change, which was announced months ago, had nothing to do with security or the 61-year-old queen’s health. According to the palace, it was just that the queen’s favorite mount, Burmese, now 25 years old, had grown too old for the ceremony.

In another break with tradition, Elizabeth wore a blue and white print coat and hat, instead of a red and black guard’s uniform.

The queen’s husband, Prince Philip, and heir to the throne Prince Charles, rode horseback in the parade.