George And Charlotte Make First Joint Balcony Appearance At Queen’s Birthday Flypast

[Photo: Getty Images]

Today, the Queen’s official 90th birthday was marked with the traditional ceremonial display: The annual Trooping the Colour parade. The event, which this year included over 1,600 soldiers and 300 horses, has been attended by the Queen every year of her reign - except in 1955 when a national rail strike led to the event being cancelled.

It’s a very prestigious occasion and one that almost the entire royal family attends. While Prince George and Princess Charlotte were absent from the carriage ride along the Mall and the parade at London’s Horse Guard’s, the two youngest royals did show their support for their great-grandmother by appearing on the balcony at Buckingham Palace, along with their parents the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as the Royal Air Force flew by.

For the occasion, George donned a Peter Pan collared shirt, trimmed with blue, which matched his shorts. According to reports, it was a replica of the oufit that Prince William wore at Prince Harry’s christening decades ago.

Last year, he was carried by Prince William but this year the almost-three-year-old was trusted to stand beside the Queen at the front of the balcony and looked enthralled by the display.

Meanwhile Charlotte, now 13 months old, was carried by Kate and looked adorable in a pink, capped sleeve dress and matching shoes and bow. Perhaps the little princess could’ve done with a set of baby-sized headphones, though, as she seemed a little disturbed by the noise.

While this is Charlotte’s first experience of the Trooping the Colour fly-by (she was only a month old this time last year), Prince George attended the event for the first time in 2015 and appeared to enjoy himself immensely.

Five Years Trooping The Colour: The Duchess Of Cambridge’s Ceremonial Style File

Kate, Zara, Eugenie And Beatrice Kick-Start The Queen’s Birthday Weekend In Style