Royals’ first appearances at Trooping the Colour: Throwback photos

Decades before the event would commemorate his birthday as King, a young Prince Charles made his debut at Trooping the Colour in 1951. Here, the future monarch is pictured sitting between his aunt, Princess Margaret, and grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, in a carriage returning to Buckingham Palace.

The month before her wedding to Queen Elizabeth’s eldest son, Charles, Diana attended Trooping the Colour 1981, riding in a carriage with her future brother-in-law Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Prince William, who was nearly 2 years old at the time, made his first appearance at the royal family event in 1984.

Prince Harry was less than a year old when he appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for Trooping the Colour in 1985.

Queen Elizabeth’s eldest grandson, Peter Phillips (left), made his first appearance at Trooping the Colour in 1980, surrounded by the Queen Mother, Prince Edward, Princess Anne, Princess Alexandra, the Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Gloucester.

Peter’s younger sister, Zara Tindall, stepped on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for Trooping the Colour in 1984 with her cousin Prince William and Lady Davina Windsor.

Queen Elizabeth’s granddaughter Princess Beatrice made her first official debut at Trooping the Colour in 1991.

Sarah Ferguson and Andrew’s second daughter, Princess Eugenie, was eight when she made her Trooping the Colour balcony debut in 1998, standing with her grandparents, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.

Exactly one week before her and Prince Edward’s wedding, Sophie Rhys-Jones, now-the Duchess of Edinburgh, joined the royal family on the palace balcony for her first Trooping the Colour in 1999.

Queen Camilla, then-the Duchess of Cornwall, joined her husband, Charles, on the balcony for her first Trooping the Colour in 2005. She and Queen Elizabeth’s firstborn had tied the knot just two months earlier.

Edward and Sophie’s daughter, Lady Louise Windsor, looked comfortable and in her element as she made her first Trooping the Colour appearance in 2009.

Less than two months after sharing a kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on their wedding day, Catherine, then-the Duchess of Cambridge, attended Trooping the Colour for the first time in 2011.

Dressed in a sweet pink frock and a matching bow in her hair, Princess Charlotte made her balcony debut at Trooping the Colour 2016 in the arms of her doting mother. The Prince and Princess of Wales’ daughter had turned one just the month before.

Prince Louis made the first of his many iconic Buckingham Palace balcony appearances at the annual event in 2019.

It wasn’t until 2022 when all three Wales children made their carriage debut during Trooping the Colour.

Meghan Markle made the first of her only two Trooping the Colour balcony appearances in 2018, less than a month after her and Harry’s royal wedding. It was the first time the Duchess had appeared on the iconic balcony.