Trooping the Colour 1951-2021: Best Royal Family photos
The then-Princess Elizabeth as Colonel of the Grenadier Guards a in ceremonial dress, she appears on behalf of her father during the ceremony held in honour of the King's birthday. (Keystone/Getty Images)
Princess Elizabeth waves to the crowd next to her mother Queen Elizabeth. (AFP via Getty Images)
Young Prince Charles, with the Queen, Queen Mother and baby sister Princess Anne during Her Majesty's first parade as queen. (PA Images)
Queen Elizabeth II rides out of Buckingham Palace, London on her official birthday for the ceremony of the Trooping of the Colour, mounted on her horse Winston. (Photo by PNA Rota/Getty Images)
Princess Margaret, the Queen Mother, young Prince Charles and Princess Anne with their mother the Queen and father Prince Phillip wave from the balcony. (PA Images)
Queen Elizabeth, joined by the Queen Mother, the Duchess of Kent, the Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra, Princess Anne and Princess Margaret on the Balcony of Buckingham Palace in 1962. (Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
The Queen takes the salute of the Household Guards regiments during the Trooping of the Colour ceremony. She traditionally always rode on horseback, until 1986. (PA Images)
The royal family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London for the Trooping the Colour ceremony, June 1983. (Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images)
The Queen would ride come rain or shine. (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
The Queen Mother, Prince Charles with a toddler Prince William and Princess Margaret. (PA Images)
The Queen, Prince Philip, Princess Anne, Prince Charles with baby Harry, Princess Diana and Prince William (centre) watch the fly-past from the balcony. (PA Images)
Princess Diana holds baby Prince Harry, as Lord Frederick Windsor, Prince William and Peter Phillips watch on. (PA Images)
Prince William points to the fly-past alongside his cousins Zara Phillips (left) and Lady Rose Windsor (right) from the balcony. (PA Images)
Prince Harry sticks out his tongue, much to the surprise of his mother Princess Diana, as Prince William, Lady Gabriella Windsor And Lady Rose Windsor watch the flypast. (PA Images)
Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York with daughter Princess Beatrice and Princess Diana look up at the fly-past. (PA Images)
The Queen Mother with Princess Diana and Prince Harry during the carriage procession. (PA Images)
Brothers William and Harry in their teenage years, during the carriage procession (PA Images)
The Queen beams at her husband Duke of Edinburgh during the carriage procession. Prince Philip is dressed in his uniform as Colonel of the Grenadier Guards. (PA Images)
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attend their first Trooping the Colour as a married couple. (PA Images)
Prince Harry, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge share a smile as they watch the fly-past. Kate was about eight months pregnant with her first child Prince George in 2013. (Getty Images)
One-year-old Prince George attends his first Trooping the Colour. (PA Images)
One-year-old Princess Charlotte attends her first Trooping the Colour with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and big brother Prince George. The Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and Countess of Wessex stand alongside them. (PA Images)
Princess Charlotte, Savannah Philips, Prince George and Isla Phillips stealing the show during Trooping the Colour ceremony. (PA Images)
The Duchess of Sussex makes her debut at Trooping the Colour. (Getty Images)
The Queen, Prince of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte, Savannah Phillips and Prince George at the 2018 parade. (PA Images)
The Cambridge family enjoys the flypast from the balcony. (Getty Images)
Princess Eugenie is joined by husband Jack Brooksbank on the balcony. (Getty Images)
George appeared to be less interested than his younger sister in 2019. (Getty Images)
Meghan made her first post-maternity appearance in 2019. (Wire Images)
Albert Windsor, Prince William, holding Prince Louis, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Cambridge, Duchess of Cornwall, Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, Prince Charles, Princess Beatrice of York, Princess Anne, Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Eugenie of York, Lady Louise Windsor, Prince Andrew, Prince Harry, Duchess of Sussex, Isla Phillips, James, Viscount Severn, Savannah Phillips, Peter Phillips, Autumn Phillips, Lyla Gilman, Eloise Taylor and Lady Helen Taylor stand with other members of the Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. (Getty Images)
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Trooping the Colour did not go ahead in it's traditional form at Buckingham Palace. Instead, a small military ceremony in line with the Government's Social Distancing Guidelines place at Windsor Castle. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
Queen Elizabeth was joined by her son Prince Edward, and her cousin the Duke of Kent for the Trooping the Colour ceremony in 2021. (UK Press Pool/UK Press via Getty Images)
Despite the scaled back affair, Queen Elizabeth II was still in good spirits at the 2021 Trooping the Colour. (Pool/Getty Images)
The military ceremony was held in the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle in 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions. (Getty Images/WireImage)
The Queen’s birthday usually involves a whole host of pomp and circumstance, but with this year’s occasion also marking her Platinum Jubilee there will be a whole lot more to celebrate.
One of the annual events celebrated at such an occasion is the Trooping the Colour parade.
The parade marks the Queen’s official birthday, and this year coincides with celebrating the monarch’s 70 years on the throne.
The official date of Her Majesty’s jubilee is February 6, but Platinum Jubilee celebrations were held off until her official birthday weekend in June, as 6 February also marks the anniversary of her father’s death as she ascended the throne when King George VI died in 1952.
Not only is this year’s Trooping the Colour parade doubly special due to the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, it also marks the first time in two years that the parade will return to its former, pre-pandemic glory.
Last year, much like in 2020, the parade had to be cancelled in its usual form due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the Queen saw a pared-back version at the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle.
Last year the monarch was joined by her cousin the Duke of Kent, for her first Trooping the Colour following the death of Prince Philip, who would have turned 100 just two days before, on 10 June.
This year however, the Queen is set to be joined by all of the senior working members of the Royal Family, including the Cambridges and their three children, although Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and their two children Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 11 months, won’t be joining Her Majesty on the balcony.
"After careful consideration, The Queen has decided this year’s traditional Trooping the Colour balcony appearance on Thursday 2 June will be limited to Her Majesty and those members of the Royal Family who are currently undertaking official public duties on behalf of The Queen," a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said.
This means those invited to join her on the balcony will be limited to The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children, The Earl and Countess of Wessex and their children, The Princess Royal and Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, The Duke of Kent, and Princess Alexandra.
Usually the Queen and senior members of the Royal Family take part in a carriage procession that travels from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guard’s Parade and back again.
They then congregate on the famous Buckingham Palace balcony to watch the RAF fly-past.
From the formidable fashion takes to all the times Princess Charlotte stole the show, we take a look back at some of the best photos of the Royal Family at Trooping the Colour through the years ahead of this year's illustrious event.