Wyedean Weaving: The Yorkshire firm which handcrafts the flags used for Trooping the Colour

Trooping the Colour, held on Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall to celebrate the monarch’s official birthday, will be attended by the King after he returned to public-facing duties.

Charles will inspect the soldiers from a carriage rather than on horseback, it is understood. But people from Wyedean Weaving in Haworth will be taking a special interest after all the work they put in to making the event a colourful affair.

Family business Wyedean Weaving, of Haworth near Keighley, which this year celebrates its 60th anniversary, has hand-crafted the King’s Colour and regimental flag of the Number 9 Company Irish Guards that has been selected to be trooped before King Charles III during his annual birthday parade.

Alongside the intricate Colour, Wyedean crafts and supplies additional ceremonial regalia including the Shabraques – intricately embroidered saddle cloths used in cavalry regiments, guidons and military banners.

A Regimental Colour or Standard depicts the colour of that regiment’s uniform facings, is trimmed with gold threaded tassels and displays the King’s insignia.

Last year, Wyedean secured the seven-year, £5m contract to replace British Armed Forces’ Colours and Standards with the new King’s insignia and the Tudor Crown.

Managing director Robin Wright said: “Military Colours and Standards were introduced in the 1700s as battle flags to help soldiers determine where their regiment was on the battlefield. Today the flags are used on a regiment’s most important occasions and we are truly honoured to use our expertise to hand make them using silks, silver and gold threads.

“It takes each of our three specialist embroiderers 40 weeks to produce one Colour and our team takes great pride in making other military accoutrements – each one, a piece of artwork, steeped in history. In our 60 th anniversary year we’re delighted that our very latest Colour will take centre stage at Saturday’s King’s Birthday Parade.”

Wyedean was founded as a manufacturer of braid and military uniform accoutrement in Haworth in 1964 by David Wright who ran the business with his father Frank Wright, a former textile machine designer who was awarded an MBE in recognition of his invention of a new yarn spinning technique called centrifugal spinning.

Led today by Managing Director Robin Wright, the fourth generation family business employs 20 inhouse staff who weave, braid and hand craft.

Robin Wright added: “Colours and Standards are at the heart of the Trooping the Colour as emblems of pride and history. Wyedean’s artisans, skilled in century-old techniques of embroidery, use only the finest materials to ensure that each stitch on each Colour reflects the glory expected at such historic events.”