Crowds erupted as the royal family united on a Buckingham Palace balcony during Trooping the Colour on Saturday, marking the first public appearance of Catherine, the Princess of Wales, since her cancer diagnosis.
Kate was joined on the balcony by her husband Prince William and their three children — Prince George, 10; Princess Charlotte, 9; and Prince Louis, 6 – as well as King Charles III and Queen Camilla to watch the flypast of military aircraft.
The annual event was a show of stability by the monarchy after months in which both King Charles III and Kate, wife of the heir to the throne, had been sidelined by cancer treatment.
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Kate, 42, was first seen arriving for the King’s Birthday Parade in a car alongside her husband and children earlier on Saturday.
Shen then travelled in a horse-drawn carriage from Buckingham Palace down the grand avenue known as the Mall as part of the royal procession. Bystanders cheered as they caught a glimpse of her, dressed in a white dress and wide-brimmed hat.
Prince William rode on horseback for the annual military parade that occurs each June to mark the monarch’s official birthday in a tradition that dates back more than 260 years.
King Charles III was seen arriving with Queen Camilla in a car before riding in their carriage as part of the procession.
Five regiments take turns to parade their colour, and this year it was the turn of the Irish Guards, which has Kate as its honorary colonel.
The troops in scarlet tunics and bearskin hats were led onto the parade ground by their mascot, an Irish wolfhound named Seamus, and the pipes and drums of their band.
In one of the many quirks of British royal convention, Saturday is not the king’s real birthday – that’s in November.
Like his mother Queen Elizabeth II, Charles has an official birthday on the second Saturday in June. The date was chosen because the weather is generally good, though early sunshine on Saturday gave way to a blustery, rainy day in London.
Royal fans in raincoats and umbrellas had already gathered along the route several hours before start time, along with a smattering of anti-monarchist protesters chanting “Not my king.”
– with AP
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