Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis were spotted sharing a playful moment at Buckingham Palace today, peering through a window shortly before joining the Royal Family on the balcony for Trooping the Colour.
Photos captured Charlotte, 11, and her younger brother Louis, eight, looking out in an apparent attempt to glimpse the crowds gathered below ahead of the annual flypast, held as part of the King’s official birthday celebrations.
Another image showed Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, 61, and the Duke of Kent, 90, standing with the young royals as they looked out over the scenes outside Buckingham Palace.
Shortly afterwards, King Charles and Queen Camilla were among the senior royals who appeared on the palace balcony, drawing cheers from onlookers as they watched the RAF flypast.
Also joining the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children were the Princess Royal and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, along with the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, whose wife the Duchess of Kent died in September 2025, also appeared on the balcony for the Red Arrows flypast after not taking part in the royal carriage procession.
Kate, 44, put on a typically elegant display in a Catherine Walker light blue and white coat dress and a matching Philip Treacy hat.
The King, meanwhile, wore his military uniform, with Queen Camilla wearing a red silk crepe Grenadier Guards uniform dress, designed by Fiona Clare.
Prince Louis, eight, and Princess Charlotte, 11, were spotted peeking out the window before heading on the balcony at Trooping the Colour today
It was a family affair for the Firm as the Prince of Wales rode on horseback while wearing the Full Ceremonial Order of the Welsh Guards earlier in the day. He was accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal as they flashed a salute on their way to Buckingham Palace.
Highlighting the strong bond between Kate and her children, they were all dressed in complementary outfits – from George and Louis’s ties that were the exact shade of Kate’s dress to Charlotte’s printed cream dress with hints of blue.
Known for his cheeky antics, Louis flashed his gap-toothed smile at the crowds that eagerly held up their phones to try to snap a picture of the Royal Family during a spectacular display of military pomp and regalia.
The future heir to the throne, George, 12, was confident as he waved at well-wishers while seemingly joking and chatting with his younger sister, Charlotte.
The occasion was once an affair that saw the balcony at Buckingham Palace brimming with at least 44 royals as it included more distant relatives. But over the last few years, only working royals – and the Waleses’ children – have attended the event.
Today, guardsmen in their scarlet tunics and bearskin caps delivered a display of precision marching on Horse Guards Parade, honed over weeks of practice and part of their ceremonial duties when not serving as fighting soldiers.
The national celebration is one of the highlights of the royal calendar and featured the Royal Family assembled on Buckingham Palace’s balcony for the traditional flypast of RAF aircraft.
The colour – regimental flag – trooped this year was the King’s Colour of the Grenadier Guards.
The Duchess of Edinburgh joined Princess Charlotte in glancing out of the window before appearing on the balcony
The Duke of Kent sat near the young royals before appearing on the balcony at today’s Trooping the Colour
Prince George was seen taking a sip of water before the RAF flypast on Saturday afternoon
Charles presented the new colour to the regiment during a ceremony in the gardens of Buckingham Palace on June 9.
The Grenadier Guards were raised in 1656 in Bruges, Belgium, by the exiled King Charles II to protect him during the period Oliver Cromwell ruled England.
Charles, Colonel-in-Chief of the Grenadier Guards, visited his King’s Company at their barracks in Aldershot on the eve of Trooping and wished them ‘great success’ for the big day.
He told the company: ‘Since Easter you’ve been practising rigidly and I can hear from Buckingham Palace the sound of the drums thumping away regularly so I know you’re all marching up and down trying to get ready for the parade.’
The King went on to say: ‘…ever since the last 370 years of your existence you have made us all in this country so incredibly proud of your effort, your service and your sacrifice over all those years and I feel very proud and privileged to be here.’
The King’s Birthday Parade this year comes exactly one week after the royals gathered in Kemble, Gloucestershire, for Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling’s ‘intimate’ wedding.
Catherine looked the picture of poise as she arrived at All Saints Church in a Roland Mouret £750 dress and Jane Taylor hat, alongside her husband William, 43.
The future Queen was met with the sounds of cheers from crowds of well-wishers who had gathered to catch a glimpse of the royal guests.
Trooping the Colour is a military ceremony that dates back to the 18th century and is one of the most high-profile royal events of the year.
It is rooted in battlefield custom, when regimental flags, or ‘colours,’ were trooped in front of soldiers to ensure they could be recognised amid the smoke of combat.
