For over 260 years, the Trooping the Colour celebration has occurred in London as the way to honor the official birthday of the British Sovereign, meaning for the current configuration, Queen Elizabeth II (her actual birthday is April 21).
It’s always a huge pageant of an event, featuring the Royal Guard marching, lavish horse-drawn carriages rolling, packed crowds cheering, all as a general British exaltation of their centuries old Royal traditions.
And this year's held an extra special place as it kicked off the start of celebrations for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, honoring her 70th anniversary accession to the throne.
This year’s celebration was bathed in bright sun and, as People reported, included the first time the three children of Kate Middleton and Prince William made the carriage ride. Kate and the kids rode alongside Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall; while Prince William was on horseback, sporting his military uniform and a bearskin hat.
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Kate wowed in a wonderful white dress, designed by Alexander McQueen, who also designed her wedding dress. She topped it with a white and blue Philip Treacy hat, and the children matched her in various blue-hued outfits.
Prince George, 8, donned a gentlemanly navy blue suit, white collared shirt, and royal blue print tie. Princess Charlotte, 7, wore a lovely blue chiffon dress with sheer sleeves and a matching ribbon in her hair. Prince Louis sported an adorable, sailor-inspired white and dark blue outfit that his dad William wore to Trooping when he was a young Prince.
As the three waved to the crowd while rolling along they remembered to bow their heads to the royal colour as they passed.
While it is the first time that the three have taken part in the carriage procession, the young royals are already Trooping the Colour pros. They all previously appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony for the Royal Air Force flypast.
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As People noted, Prince William himself didn’t make his carriage debut until just weeks ahead of his fifth birthday in 1987.
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