1. Culture
  2. Royal Family
June 17, 2023

George, Charlotte and Louis join grandfather King Charles III at his 1st Trooping the Colour as king

WATCH: Young royals steal the show at king's coronation
By Katie Kindelan

Britain's royal family stepped out Saturday for a historic moment in the reign of King Charles III, his first Trooping the Colour.

Charles and Queen Camilla were joined by members of the royal family, including Prince William and Kate, the Princess of Wales and their three children, in the annual military parade, held to mark the reigning monarch's official birthday.

While Charles and William, the heir to the throne, rode in the parade on horseback, Camilla, Kate and her kids, Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte, rode together in an open carriage.

Kate, dressed in green, sat alongside Camilla, across from George, Louis and Charlotte.

Tim Rooke/Shutterstock
Queen Camilla and Catherine Princess of Wales ride in a carriage during Trooping the Colour, in London, on June 17, 2023.

George, 9, and Louis, 5, wore dark suits for the occasion, while Charlotte wore a red and white dress with her hair styled off her face in braids.

In addition to members of the royal family, over 1,400 parading soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians are participating in the military parade, described by Buckingham Palace as "a great display of military precision, horsemanship and fanfare."

Also part of Saturday's festivities is a military flypast over Buckingham Palace, which the royal family watches from the palace's balcony.

Victoria Jones/PA via AP
Members of the royal family view the flypast from the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the Trooping the Colour ceremony in London, on June 17, 2023.
MORE: Princess Kate meets US, Ukrainian first ladies at coronation reception

Louis' animated facial expressions during the flypast and parade stole the show.

Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Louis of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince George of Wales on the Buckingham Palace balcony during Trooping the Colour, June 17, 2023 in London.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Prince George of Wales, Prince Louis of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales and Prince William, Prince of Wales stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch a fly-past of aircraft by the Royal Air Force during Trooping the Colour, June 17, 2023 in London.
Rob Pinney/Getty Images
Prince George of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales and Prince Louis of Wales ride in a horse drawn carriage with Catherine, Princess of Wales and Queen Camilla during Trooping the Color, June 17, 2023 in London.

The military flypast includes 70 aircraft, according to the palace.

This year's Trooping the Colour is the first major public event together for the royal family since Charles' and Camilla's coronation, held last month at Westminster Abbey.

Editor's Picks

Absent from Saturday's festivities are Charles's younger son, Prince Harry, who traveled from California, where he now lives with his family, in May to attend the coronation.

Avalon via Newscom
King Charles III, on horseback, with Prince William and Prince Edward by his side, and Princess Anne behind, as they come out of the Buckingham Palace gates for Trooping of the Colour, on June 17, 2023, in London.
MORE: All the best moments of Prince William and Kate's kids at the coronation

A spokesperson for Harry and his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, confirmed to ABC News that the couple would not be coming to Charles’ first Trooping the Colour as king. They were not invited because they are no longer senior working royals, having stepped down from those roles in 2020.

Ray Tang/LNP via Shutterstock
Soldiers on parade take part in Trooping The Colour to celebrate the birthday of King Charles III 75th birthday later this year, on June 17, 2023, in London.

Last year, the Trooping the Colour took place amid the Platinum Jubilee celebrations for Charles's mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away three months later, in September 2022.

Up Next in Culture