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<\/p>\nThe King’s official birthday parade – Trooping the Colour – is set to take place later today and will culminate in a Royal Family balcony appearance, but it will only be for select royals<\/p>\n
Prince Harry with King Charles(Image: POOL\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
It is one of the highlights of the royal calendar that sees the entire Firm<\/a> out in force for a celebration of pomp and pageantry.<\/p>\n But Trooping the Colour, the King\u2019s official birthday parade<\/a>, which takes place later today, has certainly seen some changes over the years. Gone are the days of the monarch\u2019s whole extended family filling the Buckingham Palace<\/a> balcony for the RAF flypast – and instead, balcony spots are limited to working royals only.<\/p>\n This means that since quitting their royal roles in 2020, Prince Harry<\/a> and Meghan have not made it onto the palace balcony for the event\u2019s finale.<\/p>\n Harry and Meghan at Trooping the Colour in 2019(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n They did attend Trooping in 2022 as part of the late Queen\u2019s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, but did not appear on the balcony. And since then, the couple has had a severely rocky relationship with their royal relatives after railing against them in their Netflix<\/a> documentary as well as Harry\u2019s controversial memoir, Spare.<\/p>\n However, more recently, Harry has talked about wanting to reconcile with his father the King, as well as his brother, Prince William<\/a>. So will he be watching them in action today, take part in the military parade? According to former BBC<\/a> royal correspondent Jennie Bond, the Duke of Sussex<\/a> will probably give it a miss.<\/p>\n She told the Mirror<\/a> : \u201cI very much doubt that Harry will be watching from California, even though it\u2019s an event in which I\u2019m sure he was always pleased to take part, proudly wearing his military uniform.\u201d<\/p>\n She added: \u201cI also think the King is right to keep the balcony appearance focused on the small band of working Royals. This is really a very formal occasion, and it illustrates the fact that there are now just a few royals funded by taxpayers to carry out a huge amount of public appearances.\u201d<\/p>\n Meghan’s first Trooping the Colour in 2018 <\/p>\n The annual event of Trooping the Colour has marked the official birthday of the King or Queen for more than 260 years. The ceremony involves hundreds of horses and soldiers carrying out complex battlefield drill manoeuvres to military music. More than 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians come together for the impressive display.<\/p>\n During the parade, the royals will travel from Buckingham Palace down The Mall to Horse Guards Parade in a procession – either on horseback or in carriages. At Horse Guards, they then watch the military display before joining the procession back to Buckingham Palace once it is over.<\/p>\n After the parade, the royals then gather on the Palace balcony for a march-past and the fly-past by the RAF, which includes the Red Arrows, and will conclude the day’s celebrations.<\/p>\n This year\u2019s event comes after a period of instability for the Royal Family<\/a> – especially when it comes to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in a public office earlier this year.<\/p>\n And Jennie believes the royals will be hoping a show of unity today can draw a line under past scandals. She added: \u201cSpectacles like Trooping do underline the continuity of monarchy as politicians come and go, the monarch remains, creating an impression of some sort of stability in these troubled times.<\/p>\n And of course these have been troubled times for the Royal Family too, but this is an opportunity to show that \u2014 despite the torrid headlines \u2014 they are intent on carrying out their duties and that the core of the family remains very much intact and united.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s absolutely no doubt that they will be hoping for a quieter summer. But it could be a forlorn wish, with a visit from Harry imminent as he publicises the upcoming Invictus Games, and the Andrew saga endlessly creating new headlines.\u201d<\/p>\n Get the inside scoop on the monarchy with Mirror Royal<\/p>\n WHATSAPP GROUP: Be first to get the biggest royal bombshells and exclusives to your phone by joining our Royal WhatsApp here.<\/a><\/p>\n We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don\u2019t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you\u2019re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Harry](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/4_trooping-the-colour-2019.jpg\")
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