Prince William has participated in Trooping the Colour since he was quite young. As a toddler, his parents took him out on the balcony to greet the public along with the rest of the royal family, and he rode in the parade for the first time in 1987. Prince William was 4 years old at the time and sat in a horsedrawn carriage across from his mother, Princess Diana, and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.

Growing up with the tradition, Prince William has participated in Trooping the Colour most of his life, but his role has changed as he's grown. He graduated from riding in the carriage as a child to marching in the parade on horseback. In the past, he rode for his grandmother's birthday, but in 2023, it will be the first time honoring his father, King Charles III, as sovereign.

Upon his grandmother's death and his father's ascension to the throne, William was named Prince of Wales and Colonel of the Welsh Guards. In his new position, William has been leading rehearsals ahead of his father's big day and has the Colonel's review of the Welsh Guards. A source explained to People that "the purpose of the Colonel's review is to decide that they are ready for the monarch." He'll perform this duty before his father, the monarch, comes out.