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King Charles III may have been the person of honour, but once again it was Prince William and Princess Kate’s children who stole the show at this year’s Trooping the Colour.
Prince George (9), Princess Charlotte (8) and Prince Louis (5) were in top form when they joined the rest of the royal family on the Buckingham Palace balcony to watch a flypast in honour of their grandfather's official birthday.
Around 70 aircraft from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force took part in the event and in a surprise tribute they spelt out the king’s initials, CR, which stands for Charles Rex.
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But of course much of the gathered crowd’s focus was on the youngest member of the royal clan – little Louis – who once again had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand.
As he did last year, he was again spotted pulling an array of funny faces, including one where he held his nose while riding in the carriage to Buckingham Palace with his mom and Queen Camilla, apparently due to the smell of fresh horse manure.
Once on the balcony, he continued his animated expressions, much to the delight of the crowd.
His mom also couldn't help but be amused by his antics.
Kate turned heads in an eye-catching green ensemble by Andrew Gn to celebrate her new military role as Colonel of the Irish Guards – a role she took over from Prince William late last year.
She completed her look with a hat by royal favourite, Philip Treacy, who also designed Camilla’s fascinator, emerald Aquazzura pumps and a Cartier shamrock brooch.
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This year’s ceremony was particularly poignant as it was the first of Charles’ reign and saw him taking the salute for the first time since the death of his mother last year.
It also marked the first time a monarch had ridden on horseback in more than 30 years. The last time was when the late queen rode her horse, Burmese, in 1986.
Charles was joined on horseback by William, in his new role as Colonel of the Welsh Guard and Princess Anne, who recently received the title of Senior Colonel.
In a moving speech, he thanked the royal forces for their unlimited commitment and service.
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“I commend this Standard to your safe-keeping as a source of pride and inspiration to all of you – wherever you may be – in the service of your country, as well as your families for their tremendous and unwavering support, some of whom I am delighted to see are able to join us today.”
After the ceremony, Charles and Anne met with some of the 75 guests who attended in the palace’s quadrangle, including past and present members of the Household Cavalry and friends and family of those on parade.
Sources: usmagazine.com, tatler.com, dailymail.co.uk
