Who was on the balcony for Trooping the Colour and the key people missing

Princess Kate, who is undergoing preventative chemotherapy following her cancer diagnosis earlier this year, has made a brief appearance for Trooping the Colour 2024 to mark King Charles's official birthday.

As well as Kate, other senior members of the Royal Family joined in for the iconic appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony and marked His Majesty's second official birthday as reigning monarch.

The major fixture in the royal calendar took place on Saturday, June 15, and saw over 1400 parading soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians come together in a great display of military precision, horsemanship and fanfare. The display closed with an RAF fly-past, watched by members of the Firm from Buckingham Palace.

Charles’s actual birthday is on November 14, but the sovereign has a second birthday party in the summer, so the nation can take part in the celebration, a tradition he inherited from his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and during her reign it was the Queen's Birthday Parade.

Express.co.uk looks into who was on the Buckingham Palace balcony at Trooping the Colour 2024:

Which members of the Royal Family were on the balcony this year?

According to the Telegraph, King Charles had a big decision to make regarding who should appear on the balcony given family circumstances.

Hannah Durness wrote: "The King, has seemed visibly buoyed by the company of his nieces and nephews, rarely looking happier than he did clasping Zara Tindall in a hug at the Royal Windsor Horse Show this month on his way back from cancer treatment.

"He must now decide what to do for this year's Trooping the Colour, in which the state of the Royal Family will be captured in that all-important 'balcony moment' displaying who is in and who is out."

Joining King Charles and Queen Camilla on the Buckingham Palace balcony for the spectacular event were his first cousin once removed Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester and his wife Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester.

The monarch's eldest son and heir, Prince William, who stood on the balcony after riding on horseback during the procession also appeared joined by his wife, the Princess of Wales, and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Other royals on the balcony included Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh and Prince Edward with their daughter Lady Louise Windsor and Princess Anne with her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence. Completing the picture was Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent.

Which members of the Royal Family did not attend Trooping the Colour?

Prince Andrew did not appear at Trooping the Colour as he is no longer a senior working royal, he also did not attend the previous year and has been stripped of his royal titles.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were also absent from His Majesty’s official birthday for the second time in a row.

The couple, who now reside in the US with their two children, stepped back from the Firm in 2020 and have only attended a scattered amount of royal events since.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh's son James, the Earl of Wessex, 16, was also missing from Trooping the Colour. He is expected to sit his GCSEs in the coming days.

Are only working royals allowed on the balcony?

In years gone by, the late Queen Elizabeth used to invite all members of her extended family onto the balcony at Trooping the Colour. In 2023, however, the balcony was limited to working royals only.

It means that Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Zara and Mike Tindall and Peter Tindall have not been seen on the balcony in recent years.

However, the royal cousins have recently appeared at high-profile events alongside the senior working royals, such as when Prince William hosted a Buckingham Palace garden party and invited his royal cousins to help out and meet guests.

In the past, King Charles has been vocal about his desire for a "slimmed-down" monarchy which would see fewer members of the Firm and a less costly institution.

In 2022, under Queen Elizabeth II's reign, she also began streamlining the process, and a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: "After careful consideration, the Queen has decided that this year's traditional Trooping the Colour balcony appearance on Thursday 2nd of June will be limited to Her Majesty and those members of the Royal Family who are currently undertaking official public duties on behalf of the Queen."

Is Kate back to official duties after Trooping the Colour appearance?

The Princess of Wales, who continues to undergo chemotherapy for an undisclosed form of cancer, has not undertaken any public duties this year as she focuses on her recovery.

Sources have been keen to emphasise that she will only return to duties when her doctors give her the green light.

The Princess of Wales confirmed that she would attend Trooping the Colour via an official statement – a decision the King welcomed with "delight."

In the statement, the royal said she is "not out of the woods" and is still receiving treatment.

She noted she has "good days and bad days" and has started taking some meetings when she feels up to but the Palace reiterated her appearance at the ceremony should not be viewed as a sign she is ready to resume her official duties.