Catherine, also known as Princess of Wales, made a public appearance at the Trooping the Colour parade, marking her first public appearance of the year. The princess, who is currently undergoing cancer treatment, was seen smiling and waving from the Buckingham Palace balcony. King Charles III, who is also receiving treatment for cancer, traveled in a carriage instead of on horseback.
The event, which has been held for over 260 years, is a significant one in the royal calendar and was eagerly awaited by thousands despite heavy rain. Catherine was accompanied by her children Prince George, Prince Louis, and Princess Charlotte, with Louis even waving to the crowd.
This appearance marked Catherine’s first public outing since Christmas, and she had revealed in March that she was undergoing chemotherapy. In a statement released prior to the event, she mentioned that she was still undergoing treatment but was looking forward to attending the parade with her family.
During the parade, the King arrived with Queen Camilla in a carriage, and other senior royals like Prince William, Princess Anne, and Prince Edward participated in the ceremony on horseback. The Irish Guards took the lead in the ceremony, with their flag being “trooped” through the ranks of soldiers. The regiment’s mascot, an Irish wolfhound named Seamus, also made an appearance alongside the soldiers.
Despite the rainy weather, crowds gathered to witness the event, with even Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spotted taking photographs of the parade. Among the spectators were anti-monarchy protesters from the group Republic, who waved flags with slogans against the monarchy.
Overall, the Trooping the Colour parade went ahead as planned, with the Royal Family coming out onto the balcony at Buckingham Palace to witness the RAF flypast, which concluded with the Red Arrows flying overhead. The event was a display of pomp and pageantry, with onlookers braving the rain to be part of the celebrations.