The King completed his first Trooping the Colour as sovereign with a Buckingham Palace balcony appearance where a boisterous Prince Louis stole the limelight. Charles and the Queen acknowledged with a wave the thousands of wellwishers in The Mall who sang the National Anthem and gave three cheers after his official birthday was celebrated with a display of pomp and military pageantry.
The King and Camilla were surrounded by the family’s core working royals including the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Louis. The Princess Royal and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence also joined her brother the King on the balcony, alongside the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent.
But all eyes were on the King’s five-year-old grandson, Louis, who saluted during the traditional Trooping flypast, which was extended because the coronation aerial display had been cut back in May due to bad weather. The young royal, whose antics during some of the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations last year endeared him to many, also seemed to pretend to ride a motorcycle or bike with his arms outstretched.
The day saw many milestones, from the King becoming the first monarch in more than 30 years to ride a horse throughout Trooping the Colour and it was a similar period since five of the nation’s most prestigious regiments had gathered to celebrate the sovereign’s official birthday. Camilla and Kate – appointed royal colonels following the death of the Queen – were given prominent new roles during Trooping, no longer just spectators.
Charles had deputised for Queen Elizabeth II at last year’s event, also known as the Birthday Parade, but now rode onto Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall as the nation’s head of state. His first task was to inspect the lines of guardsmen on the parade ground – hundreds of servicemen and women from 1,500 taking part in the day – casting a critical eye over the soldiers, formed in two lines, as he rode past.
William, Anne, and Edward rode behind Charles. At the same time, Camilla and Kate travelled in a carriage – a symbolic image of the royal family uniting to support the King as another milestone was reached in his reign.
