The King’s official birthday celebration, Trooping the Colour, took place in London today, with plenty of royal jewels sparkling for the occasion—including a brooch surprise from Princess Charlotte!
Earlier this week, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles III would no longer ride during Trooping the Colour, as a concession to his age and health. Instead, he joined Queen Camilla in a carriage procession down the Mall from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade. The monarch wore the uniform of the Coldstream Guards, the regiment trooping their colour on Saturday.
Queen Camilla wore a favorite white and silver Anna Valentine ensemble for the annual parade, paired with a Philip Treacy hat. Her jewelry also consisted of several tried-and-true pieces: diamond and pearl drop earrings, her four-row pearl choker necklace with the round diamond clasp, and the glittering Grenadier Guards badge that belonged to her late mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II.
The King’s son and siblings, the Prince of Wales (in the uniform of the Welsh Guards), the Duke of Edinburgh (in the uniform of the Scots Guards), and the Princess Royal (in the uniform of the Blues and Royals), all rode on horseback during the parade. You’ll note that they wore black armbands with their uniforms. The King requested that all members of the royal family in uniform, as well as all staff members in livery and all mounted officers, wear the armbands in remembrance of the victims of Thursday’s terrible Air India crash. A moment of silence was also observed before the Last Post.
The Princess of Wales rode in the carriage procession with Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. Here, the four are pictured arriving at Horse Guards Parade.
For the event, Princess Catherine wore a blue and white ensemble made by Catherine Walker with a coordinating Juliette Botterill hat. Her jewelry included the regimental badge of the Irish Guards, as well as the Bahrain Pearl Drop Earrings. The special earrings, which belonged to the late Queen Elizabeth II, were made using pearls given to her as a wedding present in 1947.
Delightfully, we were also treated to a little bonus Wales jewelry moment. Ten-year-old Princess Charlotte pinned a petite diamond horseshoe brooch to her dress for the occasion. It’s the same brooch she wore for the state funeral of her great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September 2022, and it’s been confirmed that the jewel was a gift from the late monarch to her great-granddaughter.
Also riding in the carriage procession were the Duchess of Edinburgh and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, the King’s sister-in-law and brother-in-law.
Sophie wore a green dress and hat (from Beulah London and Jane Taylor, per UFO No More) with several pieces of gold jewelry. Her earrings come from a favorite designer, Giulia Barela, and her necklace is a Collins & Sons piece.
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester rode in the carriage procession as well, with the Duke in morning dress and the Duchess wearing a classic black and white ensemble.
Birgitte, the most elegant jewel-wearer of the family, added sparkle to the outfit with pearl and diamond cluster earrings, a necklace strung with large white pearls, and an antique enamel and diamond heart brooch. We recently discussed the brooch, as well as several similar royal examples, in this article.
The working royals joined the King and Queen on the palace balcony for the traditional flypast. You’ll spot one more member of the extended family here: the King’s cousin, the Duke of Kent. At the age of 89, Edward is the second-oldest member of the royal family (after his wife, the 92-year-old Duchess of Kent, who retired as a working royal many years ago). While the vast majority of people in the world have only known two British monarchs, Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III, the Kents have lived through the reigns of five: King George V, King Edward VIII, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth II, and King Charles III.
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