On Saturday, senior members of the British Royal Family are set to gather together for one of the biggest events on the royal calendar – Trooping the Colour. This year, the event – which takes place every year to mark the monarch’s official birthday will take place on June 14.
At the event, crowds can expect to see around 1,600 parading soldiers, 400 musicians and more than 200 horses. Members of the Royal Family will also take part in the occasion, with some on horseback and others in horse-drawn carriages.
After the parade, a handful of senior royals will gather on the famous Buckingham Palace balcony to watch the Red Arrows fly overhead, however what royals can we expect to see?
On the balcony, King Charles, 76, and Queen Camilla, 77, will be at the centre, waving to crowds lining The Mall.
They will be accompanied by fellow senior royals, including the King’s son Prince William, 42, and his wife Princess Kate, 43, along with their three children Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, six.
The King’s brother, Prince Edward, 61, is also expected to appear on the balcony along with his wife, Duchess Sophie, 60. It is not yet known whether their children, Lady Louise and James, will accompany them. Louise joined her parents last year, but her brother skipped the event due to his school exams.
Princess Anne, 74, will also stand proudly with her brother on the balcony, accompanied by her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.
Lesser-known senior royals, including the King’s first cousin once removed Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester and his wife Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester, are also expected to get a spot on the balcony for the flypast. Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, is also expected to make an appearance.
While this may seem like a lot of royals on the balcony, it is significantly smaller than the balcony appearances made during Trooping the Colour for the late Queen Elizabeth’s reign.
When the late Queen was on the throne, big occasions like Trooping would see a number of royals from the extended family on the balcony, including royals who did not work for the monarchy. This included the likes of Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice, Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips.
It’s important to note that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who quit royal life in 2019, are not expected to appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony – or the event at all – this Saturday.
