The Duchess of Cambridge accompanied Prince Harry and The Duchess of Cornwall in a horse drawn carriage.
Her Majesty's birthday is actually the 21st of April, however, it has long been tradition to celebrate the Sovereign's birthday publicly on a day in June, when good weather is more likely. The Queen has attended Trooping the Colour, every year of her reign, except in 1955 when a national rail strike cancelled the event.
Trooping the Colour actually originated from traditional preparations for battle. Colours, or flags, were trooped down the rank so it could be seen by the soldiers. In 1748, it was announced that the parade would also mark the Sovereign's official birthday.
The royals waved to the crowds.
Prince William, Colonel of the Irish Guards, Prince Charles, Colonel of the Welsh Guards and The Princess Royal, Colonel of the Blues and Royals were on horseback.
The event was meticulously planned with over 1,400 officers and men on parade, together with two hundred horses; over four hundred musicians from ten bands and corps of drums marched and played as one. Some 113 words of command are given by the Officer in Command of the Parade. The parade route extends from Buckingham Palace along the Mall to the Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall and back again.
 |
| Trooping The Colour Twitter Feed |
Guards march towards the palace.
 |
| Royal Central Twitter Feed |
The Royal Family assembled on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch the Royal Air Force perform a flypast.
The Royal Air Force shared a detailed graphic of the flypast's line-up.
 |
| Royal Air Force Twitter Feed |
The flypast was an impeccable display as always.
Kate chatting to Estella Taylor.
Kate and Prince Harry.
They appear to have such fun together.
A lovely shot of William and Kate.
Trooping The Colour is one of the highlights of the royal calendar and one of the very few events where so many members of the British Royal Family are in attendance.
It is the fourth consecutive year Kate has been present at the event. In 2011 and 2013 she chose Alexander McQueen coats and in 2012 she opted for an embroidered piece by Canadian designer Erdem. I can vividly recall last year's ceremony; it was Kate's last public appearance before the birth of Prince George and there was a tremendous air of excitement amongst royal fans.
Indeed, it had been speculated Prince George might join his parents today; hopefully we will see him at the event in the not too distant future. Below we see Prince William at his first Trooping the Colour, when he was almost two.
Prince Harry was one when he first attended.
When George does attend, William and Kate will be hoping he will not provide a repeat of his Uncle Harry's appearance in 1988 (this was too good not to share!).
The Duchess always gets it just right sartorially for this event and today was no exception. Kate looked regal in a bespoke icy blue suit, it very much looks like an Alexander McQueen ensemble, incorporating elements we know the brand favours.
Carly from Kate Middleton Style believes Kate's jacket is a modified version of the Alexander McQueen Silk-Cotton Jacquard Peplum Jacket. Below we see the jacket shares the same v neckline and collar as Kate's. It also features concealed hook and eye closure with peplum cut-out and pleated back.
 |
| Browns Fashion |
If one looks really closely at Kate's jacket you'll see what appears to be two skulls, a trademark of the McQueen brand.
The matching hat is by talented milliner Jane Taylor.
The most noticeable aspect of the look for me was the addition of a beautiful pearl brooch we haven't seen before. Following research, I don't believe it is a piece from The Royal Collection, in fact, several bloggers who have extensive knowledge of jewellery believe it's a faux piece.
The Duchess wore her Annoushka pearls.
 |
| Annoushka |
Kate completed the look with her McQueen clutch.
I do love these annual events, Trooping The Colour always provides some great photos!
VIDEOS
- A video recorded by an onlooker shows the royals in a horse drawn carriage.
- This video at YouTube provides an excellent wrap up.
************
We have one other update today concerning Kate's calendar. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry will watch athletes from across the globe compete at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on 28 and 29 July, Buckingham Palace has confirmed. The trio were official ambassadors at London 2012. The visit promises to be an exciting one. The Queen will formally open the games and members of the Royal Family will lend their support throughout.
 |
| Glasgow 2014 |
We expect to see Kate on Monday for the annual Order of the Garter ceremonies.
0 comments:
Post a Comment