King Charles' Trooping the Color Move Sends Clear Message to Harry About His Place in the Family
Prince Harry is unlikely to tune into Trooping the Colour, despite recently speaking about wanting to mend royal ties.
As one of the royal family's most significant annual traditions, Trooping the Colour is always a spectacular affair. To mark the occasion on June 13, King Charles will gather with senior working royals to recreate the iconic Buckingham Palace balcony moment like every year. However, having stepped down from their official duties years ago, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will once again be notably absent from the high-profile celebration.
In recent years, the celebration has looked a little different. The days of the monarch's entire extended family gathering on the Buckingham Palace balcony for the RAF flypast are long gone, with those coveted spots now reserved for working royals only. This naturally puts Harry and Markle out of the occasion following their move across the pond in 2020.
The Duke and Duchess did attend Trooping the Colour in 2022 during Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, but they were absent from the Buckingham Palace balcony. Since then, relations between the Sussexes and the Royal Family have not seemed to get any better, with their whole family moving to California due to intense media scrutiny among the many challenges they faced in the UK.
However, it is bound for royal watchers to wonder if he will be watching the celebrations all the way from his Montecito home. Jennie Bond, BBC’s royal correspondent, told The Mirror, “I very much doubt that Harry will be watching from California, even though it’s an event in which I’m sure he was always pleased to take part, proudly wearing his military uniform.” Bond said she believes Charles is right to keep the Buckingham Palace balcony appearance limited to working royals, explaining, “This is really a very formal occasion, and it illustrates the fact that there are now just a few royals funded by taxpayers to carry out a huge amount of public appearances.”
For more than two and a half centuries, Trooping the Colour has marked the official birthday of the British monarch. This massive military showcase brings together over 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses, and 400 musicians for a masterclass in precision drills and royal tradition. This year's celebration promises to be just as spectacular.
The celebrations will culminate in one of the day’s most anticipated moments: the royal family’s appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony for the spectacular RAF flypast, featuring a display by the Red Arrows. King Charles and Queen Camilla are expected to be joined by Prince William and Princess Kate, along with their children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—as well as Princess Anne and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
