Kate Middleton and Prince William’s three children joined the royals at their grandfather King Charles’ second birthday parade
Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis continued a beloved royal tradition with their Buckingham Palace balcony appearance at Trooping the Colour.
Kate Middleton and Prince William’s three children helped celebrate their grandfather King Charles’ second birthday parade of his reign on June 15. After taking a horse-drawn carriage ride through the streets of London, they gathered with members of the royal family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch Royal Air Force planes perform a flypast over the city.
Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, showed off their royal waves as they greeted the crowds gathered along The Mall in London.
Princess Charlotte is known for leading her brothers in royal protocol, and Trooping the Colour was no exception. During the balcony appearance, she was seen telling little brother Louis how to hold his arms as the national anthem played. (Earlier in the event, Charlotte appeared to tell Louis to “stop” as he danced around to the band’s music at Horse Guards’ Parade.)
The Prince and Princess of Wales’ kids all have lots of experience with balcony appearances. Prince George had his balcony debut at his first Trooping the Colour in 2015 in the arms of his father, while Princess Charlotte joined her parents and older brother for the first time the following year. Prince Louis stole the show in 2019, enthusiastically waving and pointing as he was held by both Prince William and Princess Kate for his first balcony appearance.
Trooping the Colour was significantly scaled down in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the royals returned to the tradition in 2022 for what would be the final birthday parade celebrating Queen Elizabeth. A few days later, a small contingent (including George, Charlotte and Louis!) appeared on the balcony again to wrap up the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, marking the Queen’s historic 70 years on the throne. The monarch died a few months later in September 2022 at age 96.
Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis stepped out onto the Buckingham Palace balcony for a special occasion in May 2023: King Charles and Queen Camilla’s coronation! The royal kids rode from the crowning ceremony at Westminster Abbey to the palace in a horse-drawn carriage and watched a flypast alongside the newly crowned monarch.
Earlier in the Trooping the Colour festivities, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis rode in a horse-drawn carriage as part of the Trooping the Colour procession through London. Although the trio have appeared on the palace balcony since they were babies, their carriage riding debut came in 2022.
Prince Louis is known for bringing fun to royal festivities, and Trooping the Colour was no exception. While watching the military presentation from the Major General’s Office overlooking Horse Guards’ Parade, Louis was seen dancing to the band’s music in a clip posted on X. His moves seemed to get a laugh from Princess Kate, but Princess Charlotte seemed less than impressed! She appeared to tell her little brother to “stop.”
In other cute moments, Prince Louis yawned and played with some curtain cords during the event.
George, Charlotte and Louis were joined by mom Princess Kate, whose Trooping the Colour outing marked her first public appearance with the royals since announcing her cancer diagnosis in March. Her last royal outing came at Christmas when she joined the family at their annual holiday walk to church, making King Charles’ birthday parade extra special this year.
Princess Kate has maintained a low profile in the months since her cancer announcement, but she was recently spotted out with her family as well as running errands solo, sources told PEOPLE. The royal mom of three said in her June 14 message that she is “starting to do a little work from home” and expressed a “hope to join a few public engagements over the summer,” however, there is no official timeline for her to fully return to royal duties. Any outings in the coming weeks and months will be based on when she feels able with the guidance of her medical team.
