King Charles will participate in his annual birthday parade next month from a carriage rather than on horseback as he battles cancer, British media has reported.

The yearly event, known as Trooping the Colour, has been held since 1760.

Last year Charles attended his inaugural Trooping the Colour as king on horseback, the first time the monarch had ridden at the ceremony since his mother Queen Elizabeth last did so in 1986.

The reported change for this year’s ceremony follows the announcement in February that Charles had been diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer.

The king has been receiving treatment, and last month royal officials said doctors were “very encouraged” by his progress, allowing him to resume his official duties.

He has been increasingly visible in recent weeks, maintaining a busy public schedule that included attending the Chelsea Flower Show last week.

Next week he will make his first overseas trip since the cancer diagnosis at an event in France to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

Kate in doubt for Trooping the Colour rehearsal

Charles’ daughter-in-law Catherine, Princess of Wales, stepped away from public duties in March after announcing she was undergoing treatment for cancer. 

On Thursday Sky News reported that she would not return to public duties for the Colonel’s Review, a dress rehearsal for Trooping the Colour which is held the weekend before the main event.

The UK’s Press Association news agency said it was unclear if Catherine would attend the Trooping the Colour ceremony on June 15..

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As colonel-in-chief of the Irish Guards, Kate would usually take a salute at the event.

The British Army initially said in March that she would participate, but swiftly removed the reference to the princess for the review from its website.

AFP/ABC