Colchester’s paratroopers have been getting ready to have a leading role in the King's coronation.
The Parachute Regiment's Coronation Guard took part in a uniform inspection at Colchester Garrison on Thursday.
The paras were joined by the master tailor, Sergeant Terry McQueen, and assistant tailoress, Kay Jelly, who marked their uniforms with chalk ready to be adjusted over the coming days.
The coronation will see three officers leading a 24-man marching contingent.
Warrant Officer Class 1 Mike Firth is the senior sodlier overseeing Colchester’s soldiers on the day and said “it’s vital our service personnel are fitted correctly”.
He said: “The master tailor visited with the Colonel of the infantry to do the inspection so he can provide assurance back to Army headquarters that all infantry units are in a good position, ready for May 6, and that the uniforms are all fitted correctly, and everybody looks the part."
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The 41-year-old, who grew up in North Yorkshire but has called Colchester home since 2000, said his involvement in the coronation is “the icing on the cake” of his 23-year military career.
He continued: “It will be a surreal day for us, especially since we don't get involved in big parades through London regularly like [other regiments] would do.
“I think it'll be quite overwhelming for the soldiers and for me especially.”
The father-of-four, who joined the Army looking to travel the world and serve his country, has met the King and Queen Consort at several regimental occasions, most notably with his family at a parade in Colchester in 2017 when the King joked that by visiting, he had given the children a day off school.
The King has been the Colonel-in-Chief of the Parachute Regiment, which is the only unit from the garrison involved in the coronation, since 1977.
The relationship between the monarch and the regiment was further strengthened when he attended a basic parachute course at RAF Brize Norton the following year, as he felt he couldn’t wear the iconic maroon beret and para wings unless he had done the course.
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