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That was “Trooping the Color 2026”From 44 to 13 Royals! King Charles declares the balcony a VIP zone
And what is little Louis actually doing?
At “Trooping the Color”, the annual birthday parade for the reigning regent, one detail is immediately noticeable: there are fewer and fewer royals on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. But why? You can read about that and whether there were any mishaps during the centuries-old ceremony here!
There is more space on the royal balcony
If you look at the balcony of Buckingham Palace on Saturday (June 13th), you will only see a small circle of royals there. Only 13 family members are allowed to appear at the traditional appearance after the “Trooping the Color” birthday parade – including King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Prince William, Princess Kate and their children. In 2019 things looked completely different. At that time there were 44 royals on the balcony. Also Prince Harry, Duchess Meghan and Prince Andrew were part of the official family image back then.
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A lot has changed since then. Harry and Meghan retired as working royals and now live in California. Andrew largely disappeared from the royal spotlight after the Epstein affair and was stripped of his titles by his brother Charles. The “Prince” became Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Eugenie and Beatrice, the ex-prince's daughters, are also not working royals.
The smaller appearance is therefore no coincidence. King Charles consciously relies on a slimmed down monarchy. Instead of as many family members as possible, only the active royals should represent the crown.
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Hardly any glitches at “Trooping the Color 2026”
But let's look at today's parade. King Charles III It doesn't celebrate its 78th birthday until November 14th, but even in the Queen's time the event took place in June due to the weather. Since 1748, the military parade has been linked to the official birthday of the regent. The process is almost always the same and still very exciting for royal fans.
There is hardly any other day of the year where you get to see so many members of the Royal Family. Before the parade, the family travels in carriages from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade, a good kilometer away. Prince Williamhis uncle Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, and his aunt Anne ride the trail. Thousands of fans line the streets left and right to catch a glimpse of Charles, Camilla or Kate and the children. Two years ago, Kate made her first official appearance here after her cancer diagnosis was made public.
After arriving at Horse Guards Parade things get very military. Several regiments parade past the Regent on the parade ground. This year everything is going smoothly. Only Kate has to sneeze every now and then. This cannot be seen on the television pictures, but an official photographer captured the moment, which you can also see in our picture gallery.
The highlight is the flyover by the Royal Air Force
After the military parade, the royal family goes back to the palace, where the king takes part in another smaller parade. Hundreds of thousands of subjects walk along the Mall towards the palace – an impressive picture. After the small parade, the king also disappears inside the huge building. At 2 p.m. sharp, the gates to the large balcony open and the family steps out. King Charles and Queen Camilla of course first and foremost.
And since everything for the Royals is timed to the second, the Royal Air Force's overflight begins shortly afterwards. The crowning conclusion of the air show is always the famous aerobatic team, the Red Arrows. They are the last formation to fly over Buckingham Palace, leaving a distinctive trail of smoke in the colors of the British flag.
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The entire air show lasts about six minutes. In recent years it has always been about Williams and Kate's youngest son Louis (8) Verlass, who entertained the audience with his grimaces. This year the little cheeky badger seems to be on the threshold of becoming a big boy. He just leans to the side in amazement so that he can see everything.
After the performance and the flyover, the family retires. And the royal fans have to wait a whole year for the next planned balcony appearance.
Sources used: own RTL research, BFM
