Emotional (and wet!): the best images of Trooping the Colour 2024

A royal spectacle
Rain and royals
Lots of rain
A bright start
The beginning of the parade
Key royals on horseback
The young Wales children
The Princess of Wales' comeback
Radiant in the rain
The Parade in heavy rainfall
Come rain or shine
Watching on
The plastic rain Mac
Not my King
Made it to the balcony
One small difference
God save the King
Queen Camilla and Sophie share a smile
Prince William and Catherine share a moment
A moment to remember
A royal spectacle

As always, the British Royal family put on quite a show. In order to celebrate King Charles' birthday, a royal parade marches round central London and it's a great moment for the people to see the royals out in public. There was one royal specifically that everyone was waiting to see...

Rain and royals

In true British fashion, it was raining on the day chosen to mark the King's Official Birthday. Ironically, the date is chosen to avoid bad weather. The day started off with a great deal of expectation - the sun was shining and everyone was looking forward to seeing the Royal family together again with Catherine Princess of Wales back after her cancer diagnosis.

Lots of rain

But, needless to say, it didn't just rain, it poured as the royals paraded down the Mall in their carriages. One has to laugh? Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh is certainly finding the whole trip out a lot of fun. Here she is bringing brightness to a miserable day in yellow, sat next to her daughter, the Lady Louise.

A bright start

But the 15th June didn't start off that way. Fans flocked to the centre of London to catch a glimpse of the royals and cheer on as they made their way to Buckingham Palace. As always, the Brits pulled out all the stops with decorations, flags, costumes and cardboard cut-outs.

The beginning of the parade

It wasn't too bad when the troops and royals set off. Over 1,400 officers and men of the Household Division paraded before their monarch and commander-in-chief. The entourage went marching from Buckingham Palace along The Mall to Horse Guards Parade and back.

Key royals on horseback

The Prince of Wales, Duke of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal went on horseback as is tradition, while the ladies and the King, now 75 years of age, went by horse-drawn carriage.

The young Wales children

People cheered to see the second in line to the throne, Prince George, his sister, Princess Charlotte and their younger brother, Prince Louis travelling in their carriages.

The Princess of Wales' comeback

Of course, the moment many were waiting for was to see Catherine, Princess of Wales, return from her time out of the public eye where she has been receiving preventative chemotherapy for cancer. She looked radiant in a white outfit chosen for the occasion.

Radiant in the rain

The Princess still looked radiant as the rain started to pour... and pour...

The Parade in heavy rainfall

The over 200 horses were still in line, despite the heavy rainfall and, in true British form, the show went on.

Come rain or shine

Many of the royal fans refused to give in to the downpour as umbrellas went up, rain macs went on and cheers were still boldly heard on the route.

Watching on

Little Prince Louis, 6, was watching on as he took in the very wet scenes from his carriage.

The plastic rain Mac

The people were prepared, as were many of the officials and dignitaries who attended the event. Plastic rain Macs were a common sight, especially see-through ones for the ladies in order to still show their chosen outfit underneath.

Not my King

The rain was not only only thing that was trying to interrupt the proceedings. Anti-monarchy protesters used the platform to express their thoughts on the crown.

Made it to the balcony

But the royals made it to the balcony and the fly past was on schedule, despite there being worry it may have been cancelled due to the rain. It was the first time we have seen the royals together on the Balcony since last year.

One small difference

The only difference between those on the balcony from last year's Trooping the Colour parade and this, was the addition of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh's daughter: the Lady Louise.

God save the King

A solemn and poignant moment for the royals as they stood listening to the national anthem. God save the King this year is especially emotional as the King undergoes treatment for cancer, something the whole family is very close to right now.

Queen Camilla and Sophie share a smile

Even so, the royals smiled and enjoyed the time together. Queen Camilla stood next to the King and chose a pale blue outfit for the occasion.

Prince William and Catherine share a moment

It is clear the couple are stronger than ever as the two exchanged looks on the balcony that warmed the hearts of the people. Kate has called Wills her 'rock' and the family seemed totally united, ready to face royal duties once again.

 

A moment to remember

The people came out in their thousands to cheer them on and get a glimpse of the royal family in person. The sun came out again and the backdrop of Buckingham Palace was, as always, stunning making for memorable images of a memorable event.

 

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