While the balcony used to be full of extended members of the family, King Charles has kept it to a tight circle in recent years
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NEED TO KNOW
- Members of the British royal family joined King Charles on the Buckingham Palace balcony for Trooping the Colour’s grand finale
- Prince William, Kate Middleton and their kids were part of the group that watched the flypast from the royal residence
- Although extended members of the royal family gathered on the palace balcony prior to 2022, Queen Elizabeth scaled down the group to only working royals and their children
Trooping the Colour isn't complete without its grand finale: the royal family's appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
At the end of King Charles' birthday parade on Saturday, June 13, the monarch was joined by family members on the balcony of the iconic royal residence in London to watch the Royal Air Force perform a flypast, or ceremonial flight of aircraft creating a spectacular display overhead.
Standing beside King Charles for the biggest photo op of the day was his wife, Queen Camilla.
The monarch's eldest son and heir, Prince William, also stood on the balcony after riding on horseback in the parade. He was joined by his wife, Kate Middleton, and their three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Credit: Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty
Other royals on the balcony included Princess Anne, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, Prince Edward, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester and Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent.
Before 2022, extended members of the royal family would squeeze onto the Buckingham Palace balcony to watch the flypast at the end of Trooping the Colour. However, Queen Elizabeth made a major change in 2022, with only senior working members of the royal family and some of their children appearing on the balcony. Other family members watched the festivities from the Major General's Office, which overlooks the parade grounds.
Credit: Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty
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The change meant that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who stepped back from their royal roles in 2020 and relocated to California, and the former Prince Andrew, who has been steeped in controversy since 2019 due to his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, would not appear on the balcony.
Credit: Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty
King Charles, 77, acceded to the throne in 2022 upon his mother's death, and he's kept the Buckingham Palace balcony appearance to the smaller group of working royals in the years since.
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