It’s customary for the royal family to celebrate and commemorate events throughout the year and when it comes to their birthdays, sometimes twice a year. King Charles III has two birthdays celebrated — the day he was born on Nov. 14, 1948, and his “official” birthday in June. This day is marked by the annual Trooping the Colour event.

Normally, the ceremony features over 1,400 parading soldiers, 400 musicians, 200 horses, and many onlookers, according to the royal family’s official website. The parade, which usually starts from Buckingham Palace, also closes with a patriotic showing from the Royal Air Force.

The tradition began with King George II all the way back in 1748. The reason was the weather — King George II’s birthday was in November, which is a terrible month for weather in Britain. In order to best celebrate outdoors, it was decided that a big outdoor celebration would take place in June to take advantage of the better summer weather. Since then, the Trooping the Colour event has taken place in June, regardless of when the ruling monarch’s actual birthday is.

It is also an opportunity for royal fans to see members of the royal family on the Buckingham Palace balcony, who are dressed up to enjoy the festivities. In 2019, Prince Louis took part in his very first “Trooping The Colour” event, and he was dressed in an outfit that first appeared way back in 1986 by his uncle Prince Harry. He stole the show again at 5 years old in 2023 with his cheeky ways.

Louis’s antics made headlines again for the 2024 event, and he almost upstaged his mother, Catherine, the Princess of Wales, as she made her return to the public eye after announcing she was battling cancer earlier this year.

Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Louis, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (2019), (IMAGO/PPE)

In 2019, heir to the throne and King Charles III’s son Prince William’s then-5-year-old first-born son Prince George and then-3-year-old daughter Princess Charlotte joined their family on the balcony, but it was their little brother, Prince Louis, who stole the show with his exuberant waving. It was the then 1-year-old’s first Trooping the Colour and it seemed like he was a natural at royal ceremonies.

There was a deja vu moment with the little boy’s appearance, however, since Louis was wearing the same white shirt with blue embroidery that his uncle Prince Harry wore in 1986, as reported by Harper’s Bazaar. In 1986, it was Harry’s second Trooping the Colour event, and in old photos, Harry was seen being held by Princess Anne, who donned a gorgeous yellow dress. The Princess of Wales Kate Middleton channeled the same color as she wore a pastel yellow dress in 2019 for the event and even had the same tilt of the hat as Anne. These photos felt like a mirror through time.

Town and Country reported that Louis’s garment choice might have been intentional, as it alluded to the analogy that he was the second brother in the family, much like Harry. When he reaches adulthood, Louis’s royal life and duties may resemble that of Harry’s.

The royal family makes it a point to recycle the clothing that previous generations wore. The choice of classic attire with timeless silhouettes, patterns and colors makes sure that the clothes can be passed on through time. Some fans on social media have noticed that Prince George actually wore the same outfit in 2015 that his dad wore to the 1984 Trooping the Colour, and once again emulated his dad at his sister’s christening.

Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (2011), (IMAGO/Paul Marriott)
In 2020, King Charles’s mother, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated Trooping the Colour without any family members present. For the same event the next year, just shy of her 95th birthday on April 21, 2021, the queen lost her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip, who passed away on April 9, 2021.

Elizabeth was escorted to the event by her cousin, Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent. While she was not all alone for the event, it was certainly a poignant event due to Philip’s death weeks earlier. This was the first time the queen celebrated both her own birthday and her official birthday without her faithful husband by her side in over seven decades. The couple was well-loved and their seven-decade-long marriage holds the title of the longest marriage in the British monarchy.

With only 275 people in the parade, the queen’s celebration was much smaller than usual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, the parade was much bigger than the 2020 Trooping the Colour parade, which only had 85 soldiers.

For the event, Elizabeth chose to wear an elegant grey coat dress and matching hat. The queen had rarely been seen not wearing a brooch for most royal events, and that special occasion was no exception. She also wore the gorgeous Aquamarine Art Deco brooch, which is an aquamarine gem at its center and surrounded with diamonds. The news outlet reported that this was a rare piece of jewelry in the queen’s varied collection.

According to the Court Jeweller, the brooch has an unusual shape and design, which suggests that it may be able to be separated and worn as a pair of clips. The brooch originally belonged to the Queen Mother and was passed down to Elizabeth in 2002.

Kate Middleton, Prince Louis (2022), (IMAGO/i Images)

In 2023, Trooping of Colour took place on June 17, and all senior working royals were present. Most notable among them was Prince William and his family. The future king even rode alongside his father on horseback for the event, the first time a monarch had done so in 37 years. Naturally, William’s wife, Kate, looked stunning. Despite serving as colonel of the Irish Guards, in which she was able to don a military uniform, she instead opted for an elegant gem-green ensemble that included a matching hat. However, as has become the norm whenever the family steps out for a public event, the royal children typically steal the show.

William and Kate’s eldest, George, was the picture of a gentleman-in-the-making and looked nothing short of smart and debonair – in much his father’s style – dressed in a double-breasted navy blue suit. The outfit came together with a red tie that gave the then 9-year-old a grown-up look well beyond his years. His sister, Charlotte, then 8, followed in her mother’s footsteps and looked pitch-perfect in a white and red collared dress, with her hair done up in elegant braids. Louis was dressed in almost perfect unison with his older brother but instead donned red shorts and high socks instead of long pants. Despite only being 5 years old then, Louis radiated a similar air of royalty and class in much the same vein as his father and brother, yet still retained the cheeky and fun-loving aura he has come to be known for.

This charm was again on show as the family made their way to the Buckingham Palace balcony, where Louis’s adorable gestures during the flypast caught the media’s attention.

Prince Louis (2024), (IMAGO/Paul Marriott)

In 2024, Trooping the Colour occurred on June 15. While the event is always a must-watch on the royal calendar, this edition was even more remarkable because Kate made her return to the public stage after a months-long hiatus prompted by her cancer diagnosis earlier in the year. Looking as classy as ever in a white dress with stripes and a matching hat, fans welcomed the return of her broad, dimpled smile and warm maternal presence. However, she wasn’t the only member of her family to garner some special attention that day.

Kate arrived with her three children in a carriage that took them down the Mall to Buckingham Palace to wave to the crowds and watch a flypast of military aircraft.

As per usual at this stage, young Prince Louis, 6, almost stole the spotlight with his cheeky antics. When arriving for the start of the birthday parade, the reflection in a grand palace window showed the excitable youngster taking a slight tumble on the palace steps while racing to watch the parade begin. Later, while watching the horse cavalry march past, he appeared to yawn as his mother stood behind him. The festivities might have proved too much for the restless Louis as he was also photographed playing with the cord of some window blinds and dancing along as the Scots Guards to Highland Laddie did its quick march.

As the older siblings, George and Charlotte cut a more demure sight, keeping to traditions and not drawing too much attention to themselves. The pair gave off remarkable mature airs for children their age, as they appeared in sync with their mother, even in style. George looked dashing in a tailored navy suit while Charlotte’s navy and white dress almost seemed to be a reverse print of her mother’s.

Prince George of Wales, Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Louis of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales (2024), (IMAGO/i Images)