Diamond Jubilee Armed Forces Parade and Muster

[1] According to military historian Peter Craddick-Adams, a muster is an opportunity to show the monarch what they do and what they look like at a point in history, dating back to reviews of the preparedness of local militia in Tudor times.

[2] With the venue chosen, 2,500 servicemen and women were selected to take part in the parade, including personnel who had recently served in the NATO operation in Afghanistan and on board HMS Liverpool during the Libyan Civil War.

[1][3] It preceded the programme of Spring & Summer celebrations in the UK which will culminate in an extended bank holiday weekend in June.

[4] It was opened with an initial flypast of Typhoon aircraft, followed by a march-past in front of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh through the castle quadrangle.

[1] After the parade in the park, finishing the event was a main flypast of various aircraft, ending with the Red Arrows to close the ceremony.

The Castle Quadrangle was selected for the march past to provide a close proximity between the Queen and the parading service personnel.

[4] It featured both traditional music including performances of Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory, as well as three new pieces written especially for the event.

[2] Titled The Diamond Jubilee Armed Forces Tribute, it was presented by Fiona Bruce, Dan Snow, Eddie Butler and Julie Heptonstall.