Trooping the Colour was back with a bang for 2022, as the Platinum Jubilee celebrations got under way today. Official celebrations in the UK are being marked with an extended Bank Holiday.
Prince Charles, Prince William, and Princess Anne were astride horses as Colonels of the Welsh Guards, Irish Guards, and Blues and Royals respectively, participating in the ceremony, while The Queen watched on TV at Buckingham Palace.
The Monarch, 96, has been struggling with her mobility in recent months and was unable to able to join the carriage procession or watch the performance live, meaning she missed out one of her favourite events meaning of the royal calendar.
1400 soldiers participated in the manoeuvres and music, alongside 500 horses, while tens of thousands of people witnessed the event on the Mall, and from ticketed seats in the stands around Buckingham Palace.
The Duke of Cambridge and The Princess Royal on Horse Guards Parade. (MOD)
The warm weather made glorious day and the cheers certainly went up when The Queen appeared the balcony alongside The Duke of Kent to see the troops go by, and the Royals head back to the palace.
Elizabeth II wore her Guards Badge brooch, as normal, and the same outfit she wears in a new jubilee portrait.
The Queen and Duke of Kent made an appearance on the balcony together ahead of the flypast (MOD)
The traditional flypast took place at 1 o’clock, with the Red Arrows leaving their iconic red, white and blue trails and the typhoons roaring through the skies in the form in the formation of ’70’ in a nod to the special anniversary.
It was the first this year for Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis in the carriage procession with their mother, The Duchess of Cambridge, and grandmother, The Duchess of Cornwall. The children were waving to the crowds who were pleased to see them.
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
The Earl and Countess of Wessex with their children on the way to Horse Guards Parade (MOD)
Prince Charles took the salute on behalf of his mother.
The balcony appearance this year saw only working Royals included, meaning the absence of The Duke of York and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who have travelled from the United States to attend celebrations.
The wider Royal Family that the we usually see on the balcony each year were instead tucked away at Horse Guards Parade in the Duke of Wellington’s office, viewing the parade from inside.
They did not join for the main appearance, which saw some excellent facial expressions from the Cambridge children and what looked like a touching moment of The Queen engaging with four-year-old Prince Louis.
Later, Princess Eugene posted on her Instagram a short video of her and her family watching the flypast from what appears to be the roof of St James’s Palace.
The Royals in military uniform were notably not wearing the blue sash of the Order of the Garter, but instead the green sash of the Scottish Order of the Thistle, the second most senior. This is because 2nd June is Coronation Day, which is known as a collar day, so Order members wear the collar of the Garter – effectively a chain – for certain types of events, like today. This sash was replaced therefore with that of the Thistle.
