What Princess Catherine said on balcony as royal stuns with appearance at Trooping the Colour
Princess Catherine and Prince William have made a new statement as a lip reader reveals what was discussed on the royal balcony. See the photos.
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Prince William and Princess Catherine are expressing their most sincere thanks to the public after the dazzling Trooping the Colour ceremony.
The huge event marked Princess Catherine’s first public appearance in six months after her shock cancer diagnosis.
In a post shared by the royal couple’s official social media accounts, the Prince and Princess of Wales thanked “everyone involved in Trooping the Colour,” the annual ceremony celebrating King Charles’ birthday.
“Thank you to everyone involved in Trooping the Colour. Always in awe of the work that goes into putting together such an incredible afternoon,” the pair captioned the post.
The royal couple also posted behind-the-scenes footage of the event, including video of Catherine doting on her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
In one snippet, the Princess of Wales was seen smiling at her children from inside their horse-drawn carriage.
To the delight and relief of royal fans the world over, the future queen joined celebrations to mark the King’s birthday after months of avoiding the public eye as she continues her treatment for cancer.
Princess Catherine beamed and waved to the delighted crowds as she graced the royal balcony at Buckingham Palace alongside her husband Prince William and their children.
After a triumphant carriage procession with her children in the glass state coach, Catherine smiled and waved at thousands of fans from the balcony as she stood next to King Charles and Queen Camilla.
It is understood the change in line-up on the balcony — having Princess Catherine stand directly next to the monarch — was a touching gesture and show of support from the King.
The touching post came as a lip reader gave insight into what the royals apparently discussed during their balcony appearance.
Gaby Lane told The Sun that after the Red Arrows flew over in a dramatic display of paegeantry, Princess Catherine said: “They have all dispersed.”
An excitable Prince Louis, who again stole the show with his expressive antics, shouted: “Papa, Papa, Papa, look at all that colour!,” as Prince William responded: “Yes!”
Once the display came to a close, Princess Catherine turned to the King and said: “There are so many people!”
The radiant royal wore a white Jenny Packham dress with a white angled saucer-shaped hat by Philip Treacey and an Irish Guards Regimental brooch.
Her sons Princes George and Louis wore double-breasted suits with gold buttons and blue ties.
Princess Charlotte complemented her mother in a stylish navy sailor dress with white Mary-Jane style shoes and a matching bow in her hair.
Queen Camilla wore a pale green silk crepe dress and matching coat by British designer Anna Valentine with the Grenadier Guards military brooch.
The King, who is also battling cancer, appeared strong despite his own health woes, looking regal in his military attire.
Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis enjoyed the spectacle of the traditional RAF fly-past as they watched it fly over.
Also on the balcony were the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, their daughter Lady Louise Windsor, Princess Anne as well as the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
Join the Red Arrows in the cockpit for a spectacular view of the flypast earlier today over London, for His Majesty The King’s Official Birthday.
— Red Arrows (@rafredarrows) June 15, 2024
📸 AS1 Iwan Lewis#RedArrows #TroopingTheColour #London #KingsBirthdayFlypast #KingsBirthday #RAF pic.twitter.com/d6o65aVc5h
HOW THE PARADE UNFOLDED
Prince Louis was spotted waving throughout the parade, enjoying the attention from the cheering crowds.
He later appeared to get distracted by what looked like a blind cord in the building where he was watching the parade and was seen yawning while watching from the window at the Duke of Wellington’s former office. He was also spotted bopping to the music as the parade continued.
Oh how sweet how much fun is Prince Louis having it’s adorable #TroopingTheColourpic.twitter.com/Qg1oufUZ1a
— Lee Hood (@Mofoman360) June 15, 2024
The Princess of Wales was flanked by her children as they stood to watch the grandeur of the military parade.
The escort was Trooping the Colour through the ranks — a significant moment for the unit who has trained for this moment for months.
Princess Anne and Prince William arrived on horseback.
An accomplished horsewoman, Princess Anne earlier had to keep her skittish horse in check.
The Prince of Wales, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Princess Royal are taking part in the royal procession on horseback.
— Royal Central (@RoyalCentral) June 15, 2024
Princess Anne appears to have her hands full on board a buzzy horse.#TroopingTheColourpic.twitter.com/BkPI0mchml
As Colonel of The Blues and Royals Princess Anne had a key role in today’s ceremony.
She wore the Full Mounted Ceremonial uniform of the unit complete with aiguillettes – the ceremonial gold braiding on her chest – which signifies she is serving as the Personal Aide-de-Camp to her brother.
She carried the Gold Stick along with the Colonel of The Life Guards.
The Gold Stick is a ceremonial position which dates back to Tudor times.
The bearer of the Gold Stick is personally responsible for the safety of the Monarch.
Prince William was wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards of which he is honorary colonel. Perhaps most striking of all was his traditional bearskin cap which was decked with the regiment’s green and white plume.
The King and Queen were both standing on the parade ground as the procession played out just metres in front of them.
Each time a unit passed them by, the monarch acknowledged their salute.
The King earlier followed behind the Princess of Wales and Duchess of Edinburgh as he made his way within the parade along The Mall in a Scottish State Coach and gave the royal salute.
He was seen waving a gloved hand to the crowds and is wearing the uniform of the Irish Guards for the first time.
He then completed an inspection of the Irish Guards gathered at Horse Guards Parade.
The rain did not deter the crowds and a beaming Princess Charlotte enthusiastically waved from her carriage to the delight of onlookers as they made their way from the parade back to Buckingham Palace.
The Princess of Wales and her children were all seen to vigorously wipe their fogged up carriage windows so as to not deprive the crowds of seeing them.
The inclement weather proved it was the right decision for the King to abstain from his usual position on horseback given his ongoing recovery.
The Band of the Irish Guards, led by an Irish wolfhound named Turlough Mor but known as Seamus, marched the troops to the Palace.
More than 1,400 officers and men of the Household Division paraded before the King and commander-in-chief, from Buckingham Palace along The Mall to Horse Guards Parade and back again.
While the parade was all about pomp, pageantry and honouring the King’s birthday, the soldiers involved were equally well-versed in combat.
The Irish Guards on parade have spent much of the last year training Ukranian troops who visited the Salisbury Plain in southern England.
The Ukranians undertook the training in order to gain valuable lessons from the British to use in their ongoing defence against the Russian invasion.
PRINCESS CATHERINE’S CANCER UPDATE
Princess Catherine’s much-awaited return to public life came after the release of a new photo of the royal in Windsor and a touching statement.
The picture was taken by Matt Porteous, a photographer who is behind many of Catherine and William’s photographs.
Princess Catherine shared a heartfelt update on her cancer treatment, saying: “I have been blown away by all the kind messages of support and encouragement over the last couple of months.
“I am making good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days.
“On those bad days you feel weak, tired and you have to give in to your body resting.
“But on the good days, when you feel stronger, you want to make the most of feeling well.”
She said her treatment is “ongoing and will be for a few more months”.
“On the days I feel well enough, it is a joy to engage with school life, spend personal time on the things that give me energy and positivity, as well as starting to do a little work from home,” she said.
“I’m looking forward to attending The King’s Birthday Parade this weekend with my family and hope to join a few public engagements over the summer, but equally knowing I am not out of the woods yet.”
The statement went on to thank the public for messages of support and said the biggest lesson she had learned while battling the disease was patience adding the support from her husband Prince William had made “the world of difference” to her recovery.
“I am learning how to be patient, especially with uncertainty,” she said.
“Taking each day as it comes, listening to my body, and allowing myself to take this much needed time to heal.
“It really has made the world of difference to William and me and has helped us both through some of the harder times.
“Thank you so much for your continued understanding, and to all of you who have so bravely shared your stories with me.”
In March she announced in a video message to the nation she was undergoing chemotherapy treatment and stepped back from royal duties to spend time with her husband Prince William and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, at their Norfolk home.
She will not attend Garter Day or Royal Ascot next week.
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