Royal fans set for heartbreak as four key royals set to skip Trooping the Colour
EXCLUSIVE: One royal expert has some disappointing news for fans who had hoped to see the Royal Family reunited for the June event.
Princess Charlotte and Duchess Sophie share intense moment at Trooping the Colour
The majority of the Waleses are likely to miss this year's Trooping the Colour on June 15, a royal commentator has told Express.co.uk.
Trooping is one of the highlights of the Royal Family's summer calendar, as it celebrates the monarch's official birthday with all the pomp and pageantry once associates with the Firm.
While King Charles and Queen Camilla will no doubt be there to wave to the crowds from the Buckingham Palace balcony, it will look rather empty this year.
This is due to Princess Kate's prolonged period of absence as she takes time off to receive cancer treatment, and if she does not go it seems unlikely Prince George, Princess Charlotte or Prince Louis will either.
Richard Fitzwilliams said: "I am sure that William will attend as Colonel of the Welsh Guards. Obviously, Catherine is unlikely to because of her health and it may well be that their children will miss this year's Birthday Parade."
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The royal commentator added that it was not definite that Trooping would go ahead this year at all due to the General Election, but expected that it probably would.
Earlier this week Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that the UK would go to the polls on July 4 to elect its next government, affecting the royal programme of events.
The Firm said in a statement after the election news was made public: "Following the Prime Minister's statement this afternoon calling a general election, the Royal Family will - in accordance with normal procedure - postpone engagements that may appear to divert attention or distract from the election campaign
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"Their Majesties send their sincere apologies to any of those who may be affected as a result."
Next month's D-Day 80th anniversary celebrations are expected to go ahead as planned, but the King had to cancel a visit to Crewe on Friday.
As head of state the King must be seen to be apolitical and not interfere with any of Westminster's activities or the electoral process.
Any royal engagements that could be seen as meddling or drawing attention away from any political campaign have to be cancelled as a result.
Whichever royal events do go ahead Kate will not be attending, as she continues to undergo preventative chemotherapy having announced her diagnosis in March.
Kensington Palace sources clarified this week that the Princess will only return to public life once her doctors have given her the "green light".
The Daily Mail's Richard Eden wrote in the paper: "Friends I spoke to in the past few days suggest we might not see Catherine again until the autumn – and only then if she has recovered fully."