It may have been Queen Elizabeth II’s party, but at Trooping the Colour 2019 on Saturday, all eyes were on new parents Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.
Happy Birthday to Her Majesty The Queen!
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis joined Her Majesty and members of the @RoyalFamily to watch the @RoyalAirForce fly past #TroopingTheColour pic.twitter.com/WY4Y35ZfQN
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) June 8, 2019
The couple appeared together for the first major public event since Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor’s birth on May 6. Though the one-month-old royal baby stayed home during the event, the Duke and Duchess joined Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s 93rd birthday.
The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duchess of Cambridge and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex travel along the Mall to Trooping the Colour, The Queen's Birthday Parade #TroopingtheColour pic.twitter.com/UYIYv8SKeG
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) June 8, 2019
Meghan smiled as she rode in the processional carriage with her husband, Kate Middleton, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall before overlooking the celebrations from the Buckingham Palace balcony. According to People, Meghan wore a navy blue dress by Clare Waight Keller, her wedding gown designer, and a hat by Noel Stewart.
The annual Trooping of the Colour, which is the queen’s birthday parade, features military units waving their flags (colours) while marching (trooping) in London. Royal Air Force planes also fly above the spectacle.
A magnificent flypast from @RoyalAirForce and @rafredarrows to mark the end of The Queen's official birthday parade 2019.
???? PA Images pic.twitter.com/OVHuR5P71y— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) June 8, 2019
Queen Elizabeth was born on April 21, 1926, but the royal family has a tradition of celebrating a monarch’s birthday with this special parade at the start of summer. The queen first attended the Trooping the Colour in 1947, according to the royal family’s Twitter.
The Queen (then Princess Elizabeth) took part in her first #TroopingTheColour parade in 1947.
During her reign The Queen has attended Trooping the Colour every year except 1955 when it was cancelled because of the general strike. pic.twitter.com/rSrgpMAbQr
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) June 8, 2019
With June being ideal weather for an outdoor production, the occasion has been around for more than 260 years, according to the royal family’s website. The day of Trooping the Colour marks a monarch’s “official” birthday.
At last June’s event, just one month after the Duke and Duchess’ wedding, Meghan stepped out in a pink off-the-shoulder Carolina Herrera dress and matching Philip Treacy hat to celebrate the birthday of her grandmother-in-law.
