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Trooping the Colour may be a celebration of King Charles, but his grandchildren, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, are always a highlight of the event.
Following tradition, the royal siblings joined their parents, Prince William and Kate Middleton, as well as the King and Queen Camilla on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to wave to onlookers and watch the flypast of the Royal Air Force’s Red Arrows on June 14. The balcony appearance serves as the grand finale of the annual Trooping the Colour celebration in London.
As the flypast ended, Prince Louis gave the crowd one last enthusiastic wave, flashing a big grin as he passed his parents. Beside him, Princess Charlotte turned to glance over her shoulder at the cheering onlookers, gently guided by a reassuring hand on her back from mom Kate.
Earlier in the day, the siblings arrived by carriage with their mother, Princess Kate. Charlotte shared a sweet twinning moment with her mom in matching aqua, while George and Louis coordinated with Prince William in sharp suits and red ties.
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Trooping the Colour is also referred to as the King’s Birthday Parade, during which a performance by the Household Division of the British Army recognizes the sovereign’s official birthday — even though the King won’t actually turn 77 until Nov. 14.
This year marks George’s 10th Trooping the Colour event. He was just under two years old when he made his first appearance on the balcony at the 2015 event, being held by his father as the family gathered for the flypast.
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The following year, William and Kate had a family of four on the Buckingham balcony, as Princess Charlotte joined them for her first Trooping event.
At nearly 3 years old, Prince George was big enough to stand on his own, while Princess Charlotte — who had recently marked her first birthday — was held by her mother at the event.
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Prince Louis made his Trooping the Colour balcony debut in 2019 and immediately showed off his colorful personality. The 13-month-old cracked his parents up with his facial expressions and exaggerated hand movements as he “waved” at the crowd and marevled at the airplane flypast.
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This year’s Trooping the Colour follows a major royal first for Prince George as the eventual heir to the British crown.
On May 5, the 11-year-old royal joined his parents at the Buckingham Palace tea party hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla for veterans and members of the World War II generation. The surprise appearance marked an important milestone as it was George’s first time attending such a formal function.
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The Prince and Princess of Wales’ eldest son follows his father, William, as second in line to the British throne. At the tea party, he mirrored his dad, sitting beside him, shaking hands and listening to the veteran’s stories.
Prince George’s appearance at the tea was an example of how William and Kate are introducing their children to the royal duties they are expected to take on in the future. A palace insider previously told PEOPLE that the cautious approach is important to the royal family.
“It’s a massive balancing act,” they explained. “William and Kate are doing the right thing, protecting him so he can have as normal a childhood as possible, but he’s also dipping into duties as a future monarch. He’s getting firsthand experience of what it’s like to be a royal and a monarch and firsthand experience of being a normal boy.”