Charanpreet Singh Lall Becomes the First Sikh Guardsman to March at the Trooping the Colour
Charanpreet Singh Lall of the Coldstream Guards became the first Sikh soldier to be a part of the widely watched ‘Trooping the Colour Ceremony’ at Buckingham Palace on Saturday. The ceremony also marks the official birthday of Queen Elizabeth.
The Queen and the members of the Royal family which include the newly married Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Charles and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were part of the ‘Trooping the Colour Ceremony.’ Charanpreet Singh Lall, 22, was among more than 1,000 soldiers who participated in the ceremony. Lall, who is a member of the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, proudly featured the ceremonial Cap Star to match the bearskin hats of his fellow guardsmen. He adorned a turban which was black in colour.
The Indian Soldier looked valiant while he stood out among thousands of soldiers. “I hope that more people like me, not just Sikhs but from other religions and different backgrounds, will be encouraged to join the army,” Leicester-based Lall added.
"I have never been made to feel different or left out," Lall told The Telegraph.
"My family say I should be proud for them and the whole Sikh community."
He hopes that people will see this as a “new change in history.”
He said, “I’m quite proud and I know that a lot of other people are proud of me as well. It is a good feeling...For myself, being the first turban-wearing Sikh to troop the colour and to be part of the escort, it is a really high honour for myself, and hopefully for everyone else as well.” He stated that his mom cried on the day he passed out and he wondered what would be her reaction when she sees him like this.
Though Lall was born in Punjab, he moved to the UK when he was just a baby and he joined the British Army in January 2016. He is a Signaler in his company headquarters. Charanpreet Singh Lall is going down in history for being the first Sikh soldier at the prestigious ceremony and he certainly makes his fellow citizens proud.
Trooping the colour has its origins in traditional battle preparations, however, later the parade became a way of marking the Monarch’s birthday. Although the Queen is born on April 21, the parade takes place on a Saturday in June due to the accommodating weather.