Princess Charlotte, 10, twins with Princess of Wales as they wear matching blue dresses for Trooping the Colour festivities

The Princess of Wales was the image of elegance as she attended Trooping the Colour today.

Kate, 43, beamed as she arrived for the King’s birthday festivities on Saturday, riding in a carriage alongside her children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, for the traditional procession through London. 

The Prince of Wales was reminiscent of his father, King Charles, as he rode on horseback to Trooping the Colour from Buckingham Palace. 

His wife joined the King’s Birthday Parade in her role as Colonel of the Irish Guards as she sat next to Charlotte, 10, with Louis and his older brother George sitting opposite them, on the carriage. 

Charlotte took after her mother as they wore matching blue dresses, with Kate selecting a blue coat dress from Catherine Walker – complete with a wide-brimmed hat by Juliette Botterill – for today’s event.

Kate accessorised with the Irish Guards regimental brooch as well as the Bahrain Pearl Drop earrings in a sweet tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II. They were  crafted from pearls gifted to the Queen and Philip from the ruler of Bahrain at the time of their wedding in 1947.

She is also expected to gather with Charles and Queen Camilla, her husband Prince William and other royals on Buckingham Palace’s balcony for the Royal Air Force flypast. 

Both Kate and Princess Charlotte paid a touching tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Princess Charlotte rewore a brooch she first wore to her great-grandmother’s funeral.

The young royal, 10, pinned the historic Diamond Horseshoe brooch to the front of her light blue dress for her grandfather King Charles’ birthday parade today – with Charlotte first wearing the piece of jewellery to Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in 2022.

The brooch, which has been in the Royal Family for generations, had been a gift from her ‘Gan-Gan’ the Queen, and was a fitting nod to Her Majesty’s love of horses.

Last year’s celebrations served as the mother-of-three’s first public appearance of 2024, following treatment after she was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer. 

Crowds of well-wishers and royal fans lined the Mall ahead of this morning’s ceremony and, if the cardboard cutouts they carried were any indication, the Princess of Wales’s arrival was most eagerly anticipated. 

Photos showed a group of Britons holding up a life-sized picture of the Princess of Wales, wearing the red, long-sleeved Alexander McQueen dress she famously donned for the Diamond Jubilee pageant in 2012. 

Another person was carting around a cut-out of King Charles, dressed in full military regalia, in a show of support for the monarch as he continues to receive treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer. 

Other images show The Mall decorated with Union flags – with one group of women also wearing themed outfits for today’s event that marks the monarch’s official birthday in a tradition dating back to the 17th century. 

The King’s actual birthday is November 14, but is officially celebrated at the Trooping the Colour, which is – like this year – traditionally held on the second Saturday in June.

The unpredictable British weather is the main reason that the Trooping the Colour is always held in the summer months rather than on the monarch’s actual birthday.

It means that the sovereign has two birthdays, an official one and an actual one.

Today’s proceedings mark Charles’s third Trooping the Colour during his reign.

The Princess confirmed she had completed a preventative course of chemotherapy last September as she began a ‘measured’ return to public life that has now seen the mother-of-three make a number of appearances so far this year.

Last June, Kate proved to the epitome of sophistication as she donned a crisp white structured pencil dress which had a bow along the neckline. 

Designed by Jenny Packham, it is thought Kate first wore the dress on the eve of the King’s coronation last year. It has been updated with a new neckline and waist detailing added. 

The Princess opted for a simple black clutch bag and classy pointed white heels, which tied the chic look together.

She wore her glossy brunette tresses in a stylish braided low-bun and completed the look with a coordinating hat by Philip Treacy, and her Cassandra Goad Cavolfiore pearl earrings, which retail for £5,620. 

The royal completed the look with her Irish Guards Regimental Brooch – a nod to her role as the regiment’s honorary colonel.

Kate gradually continued her comeback to public duties through last year and recent months. 

She finished chemotherapy in September and said that she would focus on staying ‘cancer-free’.

Since then she has met families of the girls killed in the Southport knife attack, marked Remembrance Sunday and led her annual carol service at Westminster Abbey.

Just this week, the Princess of Wales cut a very trendy figure as she visited the new V&A East Storehouse in London.

The royal stepped out for her first engagement of the month – and her first since returning from the half-term break – in a chic trouser suit by designer Alexander McQueen for the event, along with a white scoop-neck top. 

For her accessories, the princess opted for a stylish belt, Laura Lombardi chain necklace, and a pair of sleek navy heels from Prada. 

But while Kate looked incredibly elegant, technically speaking, she did break a little-known style rule during her visit with her choice of footwear.

‘We recommend wearing practical clothing and flat shoes,’ the V&A East Storehouse’s website reads. ‘The metal grid flooring is not suitable for stilettos or kitten heels.’ 

However, the princess appeared completely at ease and masterfully managed the uneven floors, even while wearing a pair of challenging heels.

When asked about Kate’s choice of footwear, Tristram Hunt, the director of the V&A, told PEOPLE magazine: ‘She is a pro! She dealt with that!’

He added: ‘She had a super energy. She was very energetic and focused. We last saw her about two years ago.

‘She retains this great passion and interest in creativity and making and design. It was wonderful to be able to host her.’

Today’s celebrations come following reports that the King will no longer ride in the Trooping the Colour due to his ongoing cancer treatments.

As a former polo player and one of the Royal Family’s most accomplished equestrians, the monarch rode for years in the parade – both for his mother’s official birthday celebrations and then for his own.

But he will not appear on horseback at the event this weekend and will instead travel in a carriage for the procession from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade and back, according to The Sunday Times. 

It is understood that he will not ride at the parade again.

His illness is said to have curtailed the ‘monarch in the saddle’ tradition that he briefly revived in 2023, the first time the monarch had ridden in the parade since Queen Elizabeth did in 1986.

The late Queen rode her trusty mare Burmese until the horse was retired when she began travelling in a carriage until her final appearance in 2022, where she took the salute from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

The King, 76, was admitted to hospital for treatment to an enlarged prostate in January 2024 and shortly after was diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer.

It meant that he travelled with Queen Camilla in a carriage at last year’s parade to be safer and more comfortable.

This came a year after what is now known to be his last appearance on horseback for the celebration, which did not go particularly smoothly for Charles.

He was riding Noble, a black mare which appeared unsettled throughout – at one point even breaking into a canter in the Mall.

One television commentator described Noble’s behaviour as ‘if it was going into the starting stalls at Newmarket’.

And while Charles is not expected to ride at the parade again, this weekend’s event will be the first time that the Princess Royal has ridden in public since she was hospitalised following a suspected horse injury last year.

Anne, 74, plans to ride in the parade this year in her role as gold stick, the colonel of the Blues and Royals, alongside the Prince of Wales as colonel of the Welsh Guards and the Duke of Edinburgh as colonel of the Scots Guards and London Guards.

Members of the royal family are expected to watch the flypast – including the RAF Red Arrows and a range of planes and helicopters – from the balcony. 

In previous years it has been a moment where the royal children shine – with little Prince Louis delighting fans last year as pretended to fly one of the planes, appearing to screw up his face as he mimicked the engine’s deafening noise. 

The route for the flypast has not been officially confirmed, but the Military Air Shows has revealed an air restrictions map which shows the expected official route.

Proposed restrictions are in the vicinity of the North Sea, East Anglia, Essex and London.

Its expected the flypast will go over Buckingham Palace at 1pm.