2 min read
Princess Charlotte arrived at Trooping the Colour, the sovereign’s annual birthday parade, in a horse-drawn carriage with her mother, Kate Middleton, and siblings, Prince George and Prince Louis. With her ivory poplin dress dress and Jane Taylor organza bow in her hair, the young royal was also wearing a three-strand pearl bracelet. The item was notable as it matched one that the Princess of Wales also wore on Saturday.
Chris Jackson//Getty Images
Princess Charlotte sitting with her brother, Prince George, in the Ascot Landau carriage.
The Princess of Wales channeled her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, at the annual parade, wearing a light blue Catherine Walker dress and a wide-brimmed Philip Treacy hat. Also matching her Cassandra Goad pearl floral burst earrings, which she previously wore in 2018 for the christening of her youngest son, Prince Louis, Kate also wore a three-strand pearl bracelet that belonged to Princess Diana. She was just seen wearing the same bracelet at the wedding of Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling last weekend.
Mike Marsland//Getty Images
A closer look at Kate’s bracelet.
Last year, Charlotte drew attention at Trooping when she wore a diamond horseshoe brooch, one she first wore to Queen Elizabeth’s funeral that has been in the royal family for generations. The horseshoe pin was given to Princess Charlotte by Queen Elizabeth; it was originally owned by the Queen Mother, who was first pictured wearing the piece of jewelry nearly a century ago in 1929.
TOBY SHEPHEARD//Getty Images
The Wales children seen arriving for the Trooping ceremony.
Trooping the Colour centers on a procession of the Grenadier Guards, one of the most senior infantry regiments in the British Army, with roots dating to 1656 when the unit was established to protect the exiled King Charles II. The ceremony itself also has its origins in 17th-century military tradition, when regimental flags—or colors—were carried through the ranks so that soldiers could recognize their own regiment’s standard in the heat of battle. The practice of formally “trooping the colour” for the monarch dates to the reign of King George II, who hosted the first official parade in 1748. It has been held in its current form in London since 1820.
Jeff Spicer//Getty Images
Another look at Charlotte’s bracelet as she exits the carriage.
It’s worth noting that King Charles’s actual birthday falls on November 14, but British sovereigns have long marked the occasion in June to take advantage of more agreeable weather for an outdoor parade.
![Play video](data:image/svg+xml,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" fill="%23ffffff" viewBox="0 0 256 256">%0A%09<path d="M240,128a15.74,15.74,0,0,1-7.6,13.51L88.32,229.65a16,16,0,0,1-16.2.3A15.86,15.86,0,0,1,64,216.13V39.87a15.86,15.86,0,0,1,8.12-13.82,16,16,0,0,1,16.2.3L232.4,114.49A15.74,15.74,0,0,1,240,128Z">%0A</path></svg>)
Rachel King (she/her) is a news writer at Town & Country. Before joining T&C, she spent nearly a decade as an editor at Fortune. Her work covering travel and lifestyle has appeared in Forbes, Observer, Robb Report, Cruise Critic, and Cool Hunting, among others. Originally from San Francisco, she lives in New York with her wife, their daughter, and a precocious labradoodle. Follow her on Instagram at @rk.passport.