World

King Charles honours air crash victims at military parade

A minute's silence is held after the king inspects the parade, which marks his official birthday

Britain's King Charles, wearing a black armband to pay respects to the victims of June 12 Air India plane crash, attends the Trooping the Colour parade on his official birthday in London, Britain, Jun 14, 2025. REUTERS/Toby Melville

Reuters

Published : 14 Jun 2025, 07:18 PM

Updated : 14 Jun 2025, 07:18 PM

Britain's King Charles and other senior royals wore black armbands at the "Trooping the Colour" military parade on Saturday as a mark of respect for the victims of the Air India plane crash.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, India, on Thursday, killing at least 270 people in the worst aviation disaster in a decade.

Only one of the 242 passengers and crew on board survived, while others were killed as the plane struck a medical college's hostel as it came down.

A minute's silence was held after the king inspected the parade, which marks his official birthday.

King Charles requested the changes "as a mark of respect for the lives lost, the families in mourning and all the communities affected by this awful tragedy", a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said.