She held on to her hat in the gusting London wind, sneezed with characteristic poise, and still managed to look utterly radiant — the Princess of Wales had one of her most celebrated Trooping the Colour appearances yet as the Royal Family turned out in force on Saturday to mark King Charles's fourth official birthday as monarch.
The Look That Stopped the Parade
Royal fashion fans were immediately reaching for the history books. Kate's baby-blue coat dress by Catherine Walker — worn with a Philip Treacy hat and the Irish Guards brooch in honour of her role as colonel of the regiment — drew widespread comparisons to one of Princess Diana's most iconic looks from 1987. The colour coordination extended to the whole Wales family: Prince George wore a matching light-blue tie, Prince Louis followed suit, and Princess Charlotte looked enchanting in a white dress with delicate blue details and a pearl bracelet that caught the cameras on the carriage ride home.
Completing the outfit, Kate wore her treasured Cassandra Goad earrings — the same pair she first debuted at Prince Louis's christening in 2018 and which retail at a cool £4,360.
"The Princess of Wales is every inch the devoted mum. As the royal family climbed back into their carriages for the journey to Buckingham Palace, Kate made sure to check on her children after being separated from them during the parade."
A Family Affair on the Mall
The Wales family arrived at Buckingham Palace by car in the morning before transferring to an Ascot Landau carriage for the grand procession down the Mall. George, Charlotte and Louis sat up straight and waved to the delighted crowds with an ease that would make any parent proud. Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal and the Duke of Edinburgh cut striking figures on horseback as they followed the carriages towards Horse Guards Parade.
The King and Queen travelled separately in their own Ascot Landau, with Queen Camilla earning top marks in a red silk crepe Grenadier Guards dress by Fiona Clare, paired with a black beret and white plume by Philip Treacy. The Duchess of Edinburgh and Sir Tim Laurence travelled in the No 1 Barouche, with the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester following in the No 2 Barouche.
Pomp, Pageantry and a Hint of the Past
More than 1,400 soldiers took part in the spectacle alongside 200 horses and 400 musicians — a ceremony that has celebrated the sovereign's official birthday for more than 260 years. The King was greeted by a royal salute on arrival at Horse Guards Parade at around 11.15am, before inspecting hundreds of guardsmen from his personal Household Division.
For royal watchers who remember last year's more sombre occasion — which included a minute's silence for the 250 victims of the Air India plane crash — 2026 felt altogether more celebratory, the mood lifted by brilliant sunshine and the kind of crowd enthusiasm the Mall does better than anywhere else on earth.
The day was set to close with the traditional RAF flypast over Buckingham Palace, with senior royals watching from the iconic balcony. If Kate's radiant appearance and the Wales children's impeccable behaviour were anything to go by, it was shaping up to be one of the most memorable Trooping the Colours in recent memory.
