Trooping the Colour: Princess of Wales returns to public life - as it happened (2024)

Thank you for following The Telegraph’s live coverage of Trooping the Colour.

You can read more of our analysis on the Princess of Wales’s return to public life here and the King’s birthday honours here.

The day’s headlines have included:

• The Princess of Wales made her first public appearance since she announced a cancer diagnosis earlier this year
• Large crowds gathered along The Mall to catch a glimpse of the Royals
• The King and Queen rode towards the back of the guard procession in the Scottish State Coach
• Prince William, the Princess Royal and Duke of Edinburgh rode horseback as the Royal children watched from the wings
• Prince Louis got up to his usual antics, including dancing, while watching the parade
• Wet weather saw crowds and Royals alike sheltering from the rain
• The Royal family made their annual balcony appearance to watch the Red Arrows flypast

This year’s Trooping the Colour spectacle saw more than 1,250 soldiers take part, including hundreds of guardsmen lined up to be inspected by the King from his carriage.

The King’s official birthday celebration is a social as well as a ceremonial occasion and the stands overlooking the parade ground were filled with about 8,000 spouses, girlfriends and parents of the guardsmen and officers on parade.

The Princess of Wales will have been acutely aware that the eyes of the world would be on her at Trooping the Colour, her first public appearance since her cancer diagnosis.

Her outfit choice would have to be perfectly judged. Elegant, meaningful and uplifting, but not so bold that it would steal focus from the King. No pressure then.

She chose a dress from her existing wardrobe: a white Jenny Packham design with black trim at the collar, teamed with a new white saucer-shaped hat by Philip Treacy, a black Mulberry clutch bag and white stiletto Jimmy Choo courts.

Read the full fashion analysis here.

A 41-gun salute was fired in honour of the King’s official birthday by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery in the Green Park.

The gun salute was last heard at King Charles’s coronation in May 2023 and involves an extra 20 rounds fire - more than a regular gun salute of 21 rounds fired at 10-second intervals - as it is taking place in a Royal park, which has been the case since 1827.

The gun salute rang out just before 1pm.

A spectator on The Mall has described the day’s events as “fantastic” and praised the Princess of Wales’s commitment to the nation, having made her first public appearance since announcing a cancer diagnosis earlier this year.

Joseph Afrane, 60, said: “It was fantastic when I heard it on the news yesterday.

“I thought God, I thank you for bringing Kate back, because she’s very hardworking.”

He added: “I mean, it shows that she’s very, very dedicated to the country, and then to the monarch and then to the other royals, you know.

“She’s very, very down to earth and hardworking. And then she works on behalf of her family as well as the monarch.

The Royal family smiled and waved to crowds as the national anthem played, with the King waving to the cheering crowds before heading back inside the palace.

The Prince and Princess of Wales and their children also waved before following the King and Queen from the Buckingham Palace balcony.

The flypast has concluded with the Red Arrows having just flown over Buckingham Palace as the Royal family watched on.

The spectacle saw 10 waves of RAF aircraft travel past and the most-eagerly awaited is the colourful red, white and blue display from the Red Arrows.

The Royal family have stepped out onto the balcony of Buckingham Palace as they gather to watch the Red Arrows flypast.

They are smiling and chatting among themselves while looking up at the aircraft going past overhead in the slightly clearer skies.

The senior Royals on the balcony include the King and Queen, Prince and Princess of Wales, Duke and duch*ess of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal with Sir Tim Laurence.

Prince Louis has received a helping hand from a member of staff when climbing back inside the carriage to begin the journey back to Buckingham Palace,

The man put out a couple of steps for the young Prince before he was able to step in.

The Princess of Wales looked on as she held an umbrella over her and Prince George to avoid the heavy rain.

Crowds are giving loud cheers as the Royal carriages head back down The Mall towards Buckingham Palace.

Princess Charlotte used her hand to clear condensation on the carriage windows so she was able to see out and continue to wave at well-wishers.

Prince George and the Princess of Wales were also seen smiling and waving to crowds.

Sophie, the duch*ess of Edinburgh and her daughter, Lady Louise are attempting to stay out of the rain by sheltering inside their carriage as they travel back to Buckingham Palace.

The Royals and the procession have been caught in a heavy downpour on The Mall.

Kensington Palace has posted an inside snippet of the King’s official birthday celebrations to X, formerly Twitter, featuring the Princess of Wales and her three children.

The post is simply captioned “all set for the King’s birthday parade!”.

Prince Louis is continuing his antics at the window of the Duke of Wellington’s former office, struggling to open a window as the duch*ess of Edinburgh looks on.

The six-year-old Prince gritted his teeth and he tried to pull the window up.

The King has saluted troops at Horse Guards Parade in the official Trooping the Colour ceremony.

A 41-gun salute was fired by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery in the Green Park. The last time gun salutes were heard in London was to mark a year since the King’s coronation in May.

The Royal procession back to Buckingham Palace has started just as heavy rain begins falling in central London.

The King and Queen were protected from the downpour in their carriage.

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis also stayed dry, in a carriage with their mother, the Princess of Wales.

James Coleby, field officer in Brigade Waiting Lieutenant Colonel, has said leading the Trooping the Colour was a role listed on his “bucket list”.

“It’s an enormous privilege, one I thought I would never be doing,” he told the BBC.

“I count myself very lucky. Not just to be on parade but also to be on parade with my own soldiers and see the product of all the hard work and the hours of marching around the square that the soldiers have done is incredible.”

He added: “For me personally, this is a bucket list time. The boy from Suffolk who used to watch this on television, I never thought I would be in this position. But, I am.”

Prince Louis is dancing as he watches the parade from the window of the Duke of Wellington’s former office.

The prince seems to keeping himself well entertained by his surroundings, taking amusem*nt from one of the window’s curtain cords.

The six-year-old also took centre stage at last year’s Trooping the Colour after he pulled faces from the Buckingham Palace balcony during the 2023 flypast.

Prince Louis has been waiting along with his siblings, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, to watch the Trooping the Colour parade.

The six-year-old waited patiently as he watched the parade before his attention has turned to what appears to be one of the building’s curtain cords.

The young Royal then yawned as he continued to watch from the window at the Duke of Wellington’s former office.

The major general commanding the Household Division at today’s celebration has said he is “incredibly proud” and excited by the day’s events.

James Bowder, who is riding Jumping Jack at the Trooping the Colour, told the BBC: “I’m extraordinarily excited.

“I’m incredibly proud of our soldiers on parade and I think what they prove to me daily is quite how extraordinary they are; over a seven-week period we have trained combat soldiers into ceremonial soldiers capable of delivering a parade that is best in class globally.”

The Prime Minister and his wife, Akshata Murty, have taken their seats at the event as Rishi Sunak takes a day off from the general election campaign.

You can follow the latest news from the 2024 general election campaign here.

The Royal family are waiting at the window of the Duke of Wellington’s former office to watch the parade.

Prince Louis, Prince George and Princess Charlotte were spotted patiently waiting for the festivities to begin.

They took their seats after the King inspected the officers and guardsmen on Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall from the coach rather than from a horse.

The King travelled in a carriage for the inspection due to his illness.

The Prince of Wales has saluted the cheering crowds gathered in honour of the King’s official birthday celebration.

The Prince, who is Colonel of the Welsh Guards, wears his guard’s full ceremonial dress along with the Gold, Diamond, and Platinum Jubilee medals, plus the Coronation Medal from left to right.

In the first barouche - the four-wheeled horse-drawn carriages - rides the duch*ess of Edinburgh, Lady Louise Mountbatten Windsor and the Duke of Kent.

In the second carriage rides the Duke of Gloucester, the duch*ess of Gloucester and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the husband of the Princess Royal.

On horseback, the Princess Anne, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh ride together.

They are followed by the Glass State Coach, in which the Princess of Wales follows with the Royal children, Princes George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte.

Finally, the King and Queen are travelling in the Scottish State Coach at the back.

The King follows behind the Princess of Wales and duch*ess of Edinburgh as he makes his way within the parade along The Mall.

He was seen waving a gloved hand to the crowds gathered to watch the procession as the Queen, wearing a large brimmed hat and seated to his left, also waved.

The Princess of Wales is wearing a white Jenny Packham dress, last seen in May 2023 during the King’s coronation weekend, with a white angled saucer-shaped hat by Philip Treacey.

She has added a black and white striped bow to the right side of her collar, and wears the Irish Guards Regimental Brooch on the left.

By choosing a dress that was last worn for such an important moment for the King, it suggests a nod of support and honour for the monarch on his official birthday.

The King has arrived for his official birthdayparade, travelling in the Scottish State Coach with the Queen by his side.

As God Save the King rang out, the carriages were seen leaving Buckingham Palace on the way to Horse Guards Parade.

Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor was the first member of the Royal family seen, in a carriage with her mother the duch*ess of Edinburgh, and the Duke of Kent.

Last year, the King rode on horseback. This year, as he continues his cancer treatment, doctors have advised a modified programme which includes travelling by coach.

The Princess of Wales and her three children are also travelling by carriage.

The parade is being held in central London, with the parade route beginning at Buckingham Palace, running along The Mall and around the corner of St James’s Park to Horse Guards Parade.

Horse Guards Parade is the site of the daily Changing of the Guard and is located adjacent to Whitehall and The Household Cavalry Museum.

The closest Tube stations are Charing Cross and Westminster.

Troops from the Irish guard have begun to line up in preparation for the King’s birthday parade, with several sporting beards at a public engagement for the first time.

In March, The Telegraph revealed that Army soldiers would be able to sport facial air following the overturning of 100-year-old rule in the service.

The Princess of Wales is the colonel-in-chief of the Irish Guards.

Leaning on a weeping willow on the Windsor estate, the Princess of Wales looks, at first glance, like she has never been away.

She has “good days and bad days”, she says, and is “not out of the woods yet”.

Surpassing all expectations, she will attend the full outing under plans that have been tentatively in the works for weeks but only confirmed at the last minute.

This, it is thought, will be the pattern in the months to come.

Read more from our Royal Editor here.

More and more people have begun to wait at the roadside on The Mall in anticipation of the upcoming parade, with spectators holding Union flags.

Jane Ing, 61, said she had travelled from Yorkshire with her husband and a friend to witness the royal procession.

“The ceremony is part of our heritage,” she said.

“It’s an iconic parade and exhibition of our royal family that we should be proud about and come to support.”

She added it was “lovely” that the Princess of Wales has announced she will be in attendance.

Three military horses that ran rampage around central London earlier this year will take part in today’s Trooping the Colour.

Horses Tennyson, Trojan and Vanquish will take part in the King’s Birthday Parade after making “swift and successful” recoveries and showing “such aptitude and eagerness”, the army said.

Horses Tennyson, Trojan and Vanquish will take part in the King’s Birthday Parade after making “swift and successful” recoveries and showing “such aptitude and eagerness”, the army said.

The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR) horses were injured in April 2024 after being spooked during an exercise in Belgravia.

The Metropolitan Police said there will be a “significant police security operation” taking place around today’s Trooping the Colour ceremony to ensure the safety of all attendees.

The force recognised everyone’s right to peaceful protests but said this must be balanced with the safety of those attending the festivities along The Mall.

Colin Wingrove, a Met chief superintendent and head of the policing operation, said: “Trooping the Colour holds national significance and as you would expect with this ceremonial event there is a substantial security operation to ensure everyone who attends and participates can do so in a safe and secure way.

“With colleagues at Royal Parks, we have been in contact with representatives from Republic in relation to their planned demonstration to ensure that it does not cause serious disruption and that we balance the rights of all.”

Members of staff from the Royal household have been spotted preparing the balcony of Buckingham Palace ahead of the Royal family’s appearance later today.

Royals including the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children will take to the balcony to observe the annual Red Arrows flypast at around 1pm.

A group of anti-monarchy protesters have gathered on The Mall to demonstrate at the King’s official birthday celebration.

Republic, a British pressure group advocating for the replacement of the monarchy with a parliamentary republic, have been spotted holding “Not my King” and “Abolish the monarch” signs as more crowds have begun to amass.

According to the organisation’s website, they describe Trooping the Colour as “another costly celebration of a corrupt and dishonest institution, at a time when people are crying out for change”.

It comes as the Metropolitan Police force said there will be “a significant policing operation “ around the ceremony.

Formally called the “King’s Birthday Parade on Horse Guards”, but known to most as Trooping the Colour, the ceremony is the annual celebration of the Sovereign’s “official” birthday.

Not to be confused with the King’s natural birthday in November, when he will turn 76, the ceremony is an annual tradition dating back to 1760 and the reign of George III, who was born in June.

It will be His Majesty’s duty to take the salute as over a thousand soldiers and hundreds of horses and musicians march in what is easily the most colourful and impressive of all Royal events – save the Coronation itself.

This year, the Irish Guards will “troop” or display their uniform and insignia colours for the King, who is Colonel in Chief of the seven Guards regiments of the Household Division.

The Princess of Wales has confirmed her attendance at today’s Trooping the Colour celebration after making “good progress” in her chemotherapy treatment.

She will join her husband and children for the King’s Birthday Parade, riding in a carriage with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis before appearing with the full working family on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

In a written message to the public published on Friday evening, the Princess said she was “looking forward” to the event.

Read the full report from our Royal editor here.

A TV audience from around the world will join official guests – peers, politicians and ambassadors – in viewing the Royal spectacle from around 10am.

Over 1,400 officers and men of the Household Division will parade before their monarch and commander-in-chief, from Buckingham Palace along The Mall to Horse Guards Parade and back again.

The parade is set to begin at 10.20am, although members of the public wishing to watch from The Mall or St James’s Park are advised to arrive from 9am.

Weather dependent, a fly-past led by the Royal Air Force’s Red Arrows will pass across the skies above Buckingham Palace shortly after 1pm.

Read our full guide to today’s Trooping the Colour here.

Welcome to The Telegraph’s live coverage of Trooping the Colour.

It is a sunny day in central London and today’s events are expected to get underway from around 10am.

Our Royal editor Hannah Furness will be keeping you up to date with all the latest news.