The most famous balcony in the world is the Queen’s balcony at Buckingham Palace in London. Royals have been gathering on the balcony since 1851 to celebrate weddings, birthdays and to commemorate important wartime events.
Queen Victoria first started the tradition during the celebrations of the Great Exhibition over 170 years ago. Now, current members of the Royal family are preparing to turn out on the balcony for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Appearing on the balcony is more than just tradition. Apart from it being a great photo opportunity and chance for the Royal Family to greet the public albeit from afar, it is also an unspoken litmus test of your closeness to the Queen.
Read more: Where are the Platinum Jubilee beacons and when will they be lit?
The last Royal Family appearance on the balcony was in 2019 when they gathered to watch the Royal Air Force flypast during Trooping the Colour, the annual celebration celebrating the queen's birthday. The packed balcony’s royal attendees at the time included Prince Andrew, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan.
However a lot can happen in three years. Circumstances change and the list of people who are allowed on the balcony now, is different to those allowed back in 2019.
As reported by the BBC, Professor Pauline Maclaran of the Centre for the Study of Modern Monarchy at Royal Holloway, University of London said: “There's been a lot of chat about who is going to be there and who is not. Balcony displays are used very strategically by the Royal Family.
"They're very well aware this makes a statement, it's so important. This is one element they can control, so there are no ambiguous signals.
"If they allowed Prince Andrew, you can imagine the response.”
Which Royals will be missing from the balcony?
Only "working royals" and their children will appear on the balcony. This automatically excludes Prince Andrew, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex from the list of balcony attendees.
Which Royals made the grade and onto the balcony?
18 members of the Royal Family will be joining the Queen on the balcony for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. The Queen will be standing at the front, surrounded by senior royals including Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince William and his wife Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge.
Here is the full list VIPs that are allowed on the balcony.
- Charles, Prince of Wales
- Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
- Prince William, Duke of Cambridge
- Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
- Prince George of Cambridge
- Princess Charlotte of Cambridge
- Prince Louis of Cambridge
- Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
- Sophie, Countess of Wessex
- Lady Louise Windsor
- James, Viscount Severn
- Anne, Princess Royal
- Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence
- Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester,
- Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester
- Prince Edward, Duke of Kent
- Katharine, Duchess of Kent
- Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy
