The Royal Family—Including Kate, William, and Charles—Return to the Buckingham Palace Balcony

The royal family finished off this year’s Trooping the Colour celebrations with the traditional appearance on Buckingham Palace’s famous balcony, from which they viewed the Royal Air Force flypast following a military procession down London’s Mall.

Flanking King Charles III and Queen Camilla were Prince William and Princess Kate, as well as their three children—Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6. On the other side of the British monarch were his younger brother, Prince Edward, and Edward’s wife and daughter, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, and Lady Louise Windsor. Other royals who appeared on the balcony included Charles’s sister, Princess Anne, and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence; Prince Richard and Birgitte, Duke and Duchess of Gloucester; and Prince Edward, Duke of Kent.

Members of the royal family have traditionally gathered together on the balcony, on the front facade of the palace’s east wing, during major ceremonial events since the mid–19th century. There are technically no fixed rules about who is allowed to appear there, but recent years have seen fewer family members on the balcony as the number of working senior royals has also dwindled. At Queen Elizabeth II’s 2022 Platinum Jubilee celebrations, for instance, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson explained to Bazaar that only senior royals “who are currently undertaking official public duties on behalf of the queen” would be invited to make public appearances.

Trooping the Colour is an annual celebration of the reigning monarch’s birthday (but traditionally takes place in June, regardless of the sovereign’s actual date of birth), and today’s ceremonies also marked a grand return to the public eye for Catherine, Princess of Wales. Until today, Kate had not ventured out on an official public engagement since Christmas, after being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. Still, her appearance today does not mean she will be returning to work in a full-time capacity any time soon. In a letter released by Kensington Palace yesterday, the princess explained, “I am not out of the woods yet. I am learning how to be patient, especially with uncertainty. Taking each day as it comes, listening to my body, and allowing myself to take this much-needed time to heal.”

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As an associate editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com, Chelsey keeps a finger on the pulse on all things celeb news. She also writes on social movements, connecting with activists leading the fight on workers’ rights, climate justice, and more. Offline, she’s probably spending too much time on TikTok, rewatching Emma (the 2020 version, of course), or buying yet another corset.