How Trooping the Colour Balcony has changed over time (2024)

Over the years, Trooping the Colour has remained one of the royal highlights of the year, when the family get together and enjoy the flypast.

Each year, thousands of well-wishers gather around to catch a glimpse of the monarch's family - however, the number of royals invited to show their faces on the balcony of Buckingham Palacehas been whittled down year by year.

In 2023, just 14 members of the Royal Family took to the historic spot to mark the King's birthday celebrations, while this year, the balcony was not much fuller, with 15 members watchingthe flypast.

This year,King Charles- who is thought to prefer the idea of a slimmed-down monarchy - and Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales, their three children, the Duke and duch*ess of Edinburghand their daughter Lady Louise - who made a surprise appearance - were stood in the main area of the balcony.

WhereasPrincess Anne,her husband, Sir Timothy Laurence and the Duke of Kent were further to the right, with a small space between the Princess Royal and Lady Louise.

Another significant difference was the position of certain royals. Last year, Prince William stood next to his father, but this year, the monarch chose to stand next to his daughter-in-law Kate.

Perhaps King Charles made the touching gesture in recognition of the cancer battle he and Kate are both fighting.

There was a sizeable gap between the senior working royals and lesser known members of the Firm such as the Duke, 78, and duch*ess, 76, of Gloucester.

This noticeable space between the two groups could be Charles making a clear point about the future of the Royal Family.

In 2019, the balcony was so full thatPrincess Beatriceand Princess Eugenie were barely visible behind the Queen and the Princess Royal.

In total, there were around 42 royals who gathered around the late Queen on the balcony four years ago.Similarly, in 2017, around 47 royals piled onto the balcony for a glimpse of the annual flypast and to see well-wishers.

Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and their children, Lady Gabriella Kingston,Lord Frederick Windsor, were invited onto the platform in 2019 - but it appears they have not made the cut in recent years.

Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Peter Phillips, his now-ex-wife Autumn Kellyand their children Savannah and Isla were also missing from this year's and last year's Buckingham Palace celebrations.

Flora Ogilvy and James Ogilvy, the grandchildrenof Princess Alexandra, who was a first cousin to the late Queen Elizabeth II, were present at Trooping the Colour in 2017 and 2019, but were absent this year.

Zenouska Mowatt, the daughterMarina Ogilvy who is a second cousin of King Charles, was pictured on the balcony in both 2017 and 2019 but by 2022, she was nowhere to be seen.

The Duke of Gloucester, first cousin to Queen Elizabeth and first cousin once removed to her children, and his wife The duch*ess ofGloucester appeared on the balcony last year with the senior working royals.

However, their daughter Lady Rose Gilman, her husbandGeorge Gilman and their granddaughterLyla Gilman were last pictured on the balcony in 2019.

The family of the Duke and duch*ess of Kent were invited to watch the flypast with the rest of the royal family in 2017. Their daughterLady Helen Taylor, her husband Tim Taylor and their daughters Eloise and Estella were gathered together, but for the past couple of years only the Duke of Kent has shown his face.

George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews and his childrenLady Amelia Windsor andEdward Windsor,Lord Downpatrick, were snapped on the balcony in 2017.

However, two years later in 2019, onlyGeorge Windsor, Earl of St Andrews and his wifeSylvana Tomaselli, Countess ofSt Andrews made an appearance and neither one of them was present on the balcony in 2023 or this year.

Changes to Trooping the Colour were noticeable in 2022, when 18 royals were pictured watching the flypast - less than half of the amount in previous years.

The late Queen,Charles,Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children, Princess Anne and her husband, Sir Timothy Laurence and the Duke and duch*ess of Edinburgh,the Duke and duch*ess of Kent and Duke and duch*ess of Gloucester were present.

Sophie and Edward's children were also invited onto the balcony,Lady Louise Windsor, James, Earl of Wessex.

Last year, royal fans expressed their disappointment at the scaled-down balcony appearance. Those who love the Firm said they missed seeing so many members of the family come together - and have branded last year's pared down balcony as 'boring'.