Queen's three words scolded Prince William in Trooping the Colour balcony rebuke

The late Queen was caught giving her grandson Prince William a bit of a telling off during the Trooping the Colour ceremony which celebrated Her Majesty's 90th birthday.

The royals were all smiles on the Buckingham Palace balcony, following tradition and greeting the crowd, as they enjoyed the flypast back in 2016.

It was a special day for Princess Charlotte too, making her balcony debut cradled in the arms of her mum Kate.

Meanwhile, Prince William had his hands full with a three year old Prince George, who seemed utterly fascinated by the aerial display.

However, it was during this sweet father-son moment that William received a sharp nudge from the Queen.

Prince George was at the forefront, enthusiastically pointing up at the planes, while his dad bent down to chat with him. But a swift three-word comment from the Queen, reported by The Mirror as "Stand up William", saw the Prince quickly straighten up, looking embarrassed.

The Trooping the Colour event has seen some changes in recent years, with the 2020 celebration cancelled due to the pandemic and a more modest parade taking place at Windsor Castle in 2021 instead of the usual London festivities. Last year marked the first Trooping The Colour of King Charles' reign, following his mother's sad death in 2022.

Trooping The Colour
Prince William bent down to speak to Prince George -Credit:Yui Mok/PA Wire

This grand event typically includes a military parade and an RAF fly-past, watched by members of the Royal Family from a balcony at Buckingham Palace. While the King's actual birthday is 14 November, the official celebrations are held in June.

This year's Trooping the Colour, on 15 June, will see 250 musicians, 20 pipers, 240 military working horses, an extremely large dog, and almost a thousand dual role soldiers of the British Army’s Household Division delivering a huge spectacle for The King, the nation, and the world.

It was confirmed just the day before the event that Kate would attend, being joined by her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, in a carriage for the traditional procession and later on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. The Princess of Wales released a personal message, in which she said she is making “good progress” in her cancer treatment.