In 2024, Trooping the Colour, an annual event in London to celebrate the British sovereign’s birthday, was especially significant because it promised a rare public sighting of Kate Middleton, rarely photographed since revealing her cancer diagnosis in March of 2024.
Every Trooping the Colour, sometimes called the Sovereign’s Birthday Parade, gets viewed by the monarch and their family from the Buckingham Palace balcony, as the royals wave to onlookers below. Trooping the Colour 2024 came and went, and here’s a closer look at each royal family member — including Middleton — who showed up on Buckingham’s balcony.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla were front and center
As part of the Trooping the Colour ceremony, the British royal family takes in a British military flyover and a military procession on London’s Mall. Naturally, Queen Camilla and King Charles III — who also revealed an unspecified cancer diagnosis in February — figured prominently.
Next to them, were Prince William, next in line for the British throne, and Princess Kate, looking glamorous as ever and showing little sign of her recent cancer treatment. William and Kate’s children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, were also there. Some say Louis stole the show with his dance moves.
A few significant missing members of the royal family included William’s brother Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, who gave up their royal duties in 2020. Charles’ controversial brother, Prince Andrew, was also MIA.
King Charles III’s other siblings were there, though
In what is essentially a family portrait viewed by the entire world, the King’s sister, Princess Anne, and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence were also spotted on the balcony, as well as Prince Richard and Birgitte, Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, along with Prince Edward, Duke of Kent.
Meanwhile, King Charles III’s younger brother, Prince Edward, and Edward’s wife Lady Louise Windsor, and daughter, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, stood nearby, Harper’s Bazaar reported. Meanwhile, James, Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward and Sophie’s son, was missing.
Kate has not yet fully returned to work
Before Trooping the Colour, Kate Middleton gave an update on her health. In her message, she said she’s doing well, but her ongoing cancer treatment left her with “good days and bad days,” according to People.
“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 added.
