The royal family has always been all about tradition, and there are several events over the year that we can expect everyone to show up to en masse. But one of the biggest — if not the biggest — is Trooping the Colour. Every June, the family comes together to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's birthday (her actual birthday is in April) with a parade and a flyover from the Royal Air Force, which everyone watches together when they gather on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. It always ends up being a pretty unforgettable day, and not just for the royals, either.
The royal family's fans look forward to it as well.
Over the years, there have been so many memorable moments from the annual event each summer — especially after Prince William and Kate Middleton got married and began bringing their children, Charlotte, George, and Louis, along for the ride. Seeing the kids joyous (or a little bored) from Trooping the Colour is too precious, and those three are always ready to ham it up, no matter what else might be going on.
Here are all the most unforgettable moments from Trooping the Colour through the years. Even though we'll never get to attend this fun event ourselves (what we wouldn't do to be out on that balcony hearing George's commentary!), living vicariously through all the photos that always surface online after the fact is almost as fun.
If only we were all lucky enough to celebrate our birthdays in an epic way like Queen Elizabeth does. But after 94 years, she definitely deserves it!
Queen Elizabeth's Very First
One of the very biggest Trooping the Colour moments of all time? Queen Elizabeth's first official one after her coronation in 1952. After all, this is an event that's all about her — celebrating her birthday every year — and this was the first time she got to attend as the actual guest of honor. It had to have been such a big deal for Elizabeth, and something that will live on in history.
Princess Diana & Baby Harry
We'll truly never get tired of looking at photos of Princess Diana, and she was a regular attendee of Trooping the Colour too — even bringing her sons along for the big day. Of course, Diana looks flawless (as per usual) in her peach outfit, but what we really can't get over is how tiny Harry was when this was taken … and how fascinated Will is by the rosette on the bunting. The future king better strap in for many more of these to come!
Diana & Her Boys
Another year at Trooping the Colour, another year for William to look bored out of his mind. We wonder if, while he was watching those jets fly overhead, he knew he'd be trained as a pilot himself someday? Either way, we can't blame a kid for being over it — even though it seemed like Prince Harry was doing just fine that day as he hung out with his mom and Princess Margaret.
Will's Last as a Single Man
Of course, William wasn't technically a single man here. (A more accurate term would be "unmarried," because he and Kate were definitely together and had been for a while.) But this would be the last time that he'd attend Trooping the Colour with his family without his wife by his side. Prince William's life changed for the better, though, because he and Kate seem so happy together.
Kate's First Trooping the Colour
In 2011, everything changed in the royal family as William and Kate finally tied the knot after years of dating. And that meant that year's Trooping the Colour would include Kate for the very first time. We're not surprised at all to see that she fit right in, wardrobe included. Somehow, this lady always knows exactly the right thing to wear … even when it includes a giant hat.
Killing it!
Before There Were Kids
After Will and Kate got married, they ended up becoming quite a trio with Prince Harry, taking on all kinds of royal engagements together, and Trooping the Colour was no exception. Before Kate and Will began having kids, they all got to hang out at the yearly celebration as a threesome, and it's hard to believe how young all of them look. After all, at this point, Harry may not have even known his future wife existed.
Bumpin' Along
It wouldn't be long before Prince George joined Will and Kate's family, and here, it's pretty clear he's on his way. Not long after Kate's very first Trooping the Colour appearance, she also happened to show up with a baby bump — and wearing the prettiest light pink coat, too. It would still be a while before George would show up to the event, but it was still very exciting.
George's First Appearance
No more bump! Prince George made his very first Trooping the Colour appearance in 2015, dressing in an all-blue outfit that coordinated with his dad's uniform and the dress his mom was wearing. (Leave it to Kate to keep her family coordinated!) On top of that, George was already showing plenty of that personality, and as far as we can tell in this photo, it looked like he was having a blast.
Princess Charlotte's Debut
Who says babies can't multitask? Here, Princess Charlotte is munching on her fingers and looking on in awe as the planes fly overhead, all while hanging out with her mom and Uncle Harry. She's grown so much since this day, but what hasn't changed is her sense of style. This would be the first year of many that Kate dressed her in an outfit that matched her own.
Queen of coordination over here!
Eugenie & Beatrice
Although Will, Kate, Harry, Meghan, and the kids usually get all the attention during the Queen's annual birthday bash, we've gotta pay tribute to Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, too! They attend Trooping the Colour every year, and they always look like a breath of fresh air. Just look at their floral dresses as they arrived to the event in 2017.
They both look gorgeous!
Like Mother, Like Daughter
Much like every other year, in 2017, Charlotte and Kate were doing the matching thing yet again, and this time, they were both wearing pink — and looking fabulous doing it. Charlotte always seems to be having such a great time at Trooping the Colour every year, even if George doesn't seem to agree. Don't think that facial expression he's making in the bottom of this photo was lost on us!
Hamming It Up
Even though George might not have been having the greatest time at 2017's event, all that seemed to change by the time the 2018 ceremony rolled around. Here, he seems to be having a blast with his sister, Princess Charlotte, and their cousin, Savannah Phillips, the granddaughter of Princess Anne, Queen Elizabeth's daughter. Looks like these three could cause some serious trouble.
George Steals the Show
That year, George truly seemed to be in his element! Since he was a tiny baby, he's been known for wearing his feelings right on his face. George is truly expressive, and if we had to guess, even a little sassier than the rest of his family. In this particular shot, the camera doesn't lie! Here he is, looking as cute as could be … and becoming the focus out of all of the royal kids, as per usual.
Queen Elizabeth's Departure
It definitely wouldn't be right to talk about Trooping the Colour without talking about the lady the event pays tribute to — so here's Elizabeth, in all of her glory, leaving Buckingham Palace in 2018. She always makes a grand entrance and exit to the event every year, and Queen Elizabeth looks good doing it, too, considering that she's usually wearing one of her signature brightly colored outfits.
Meghan's First Trooping the Colour
The 2018 Trooping the Colour was a big one for the royal family! That year happened to have also been Meghan Markle's first appearance at the event. Even though she and Harry had been dating the year before, this was the first year that the couple was married. Meghan looked absolutely stunning in her petal pink dress and matching hat. Little did they know at that point the royal roller coaster they were both about to go on!
Looking On
Although the royal kids usually join their parents out on the balcony at Buckingham Palace for the flyover, until that point, they hang out and wait until it was time to go outside. Here, in 2019, we got to see Kate and Will's kids in action, watching through the window and looking pretty intrigued by everything that was happening below — and of course, Prince Louis was sucking his thumb for good measure.
Just a Little Side-Eye
A picture is worth a thousand words, and here, in 2019, we can see that Camilla and Kate Middleton are both totally over whatever is going on as they arrive during the processional… and we'd love to know why they're both handing out all that side-eye. They were riding with Harry and Meghan at the time, so we're super curious if the royal couple had anything to do with it.
Meghan & Harry's Arrival
On the other side of that carriage ride were these two, and they both seemed to be having a perfectly fine time! Meghan was all dressed up in a navy dress and hat, making one of her earliest appearances after giving birth to Archie just a month earlier. This is also significant because it might have actually ended up being their last Trooping the Colour — at least for a while.
Prince Louis' Debut
Prince Louis first appeared at Trooping the Colour in 2019. At that point, he was a year old, whereas in 2018, he only would have been 2 months old — which is a little young for an event of that scale. But even though he was totally new to this tradition, he seemed to be having a blast, and Will and Kate looked so happy to be sharing it with him for the first time.
Too cute!
All The Personality
With all three of Will and Kate's kids at Trooping the Colour for the very first time in 2019, it ended up being one of the best years ever for pictures. Prince Louis and Prince George are both making totally hilarious expressions, while Princess Charlotte's doing her own thing. Somehow, Will and Kate have managed to have three kids with larger than life personalities, and it's so much fun watching them all grow up.
