Who’s who on the Buckingham Palace balcony (and the key people missing) as King Charles makes subtle change to line-up in sweet gesture to Kate Middleton – and Lady Louise Windsor makes surprise appearance

The Royal Family were out in full force today as they watched the King’s annual Birthday Parade, taking to Buckingham Palace’s famous balcony to watch the Trooping the Colour flypast.

Each year, thousands of well-wishers gather around to catch a glimpse of the monarch’s family – however, the last two years have seen fairly sparse balconies at the London event.

In 2023, just 14 members of the Royal Family took to the historic spot to mark the King’s birthday celebrations, while this year, the balcony was not much fuller, with 15 members watching the flypast.

While many of the faces stayed the same as last year, there was one significant difference. Last year, Prince William stood next to his father. However, this year, the monarch chose to stand next to his daughter-in-law Kate.

Perhaps King Charles made the touching gesture in recognition of the cancer battle he and Kate are both fighting.

Meanwhile, missing from the line-up was James, the Earl of Wessex, 16, whose absence could be related to it being exam season. 

However, his sister Lady Louise, who was not present at the event last year, did attend Trooping the Colour today, in a move that surprised some royal watchers. 

Another absent face was Princess Alexandra, 87, a cousin of the late Queen, who also missed the event last year.

And Prince Andrew unsurprisingly also failed to make the cut. The disgraced royal, who took a step back from senior royal duties amid the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, has not been seen on the balcony for the event since 2019.

Here, FEMAIL talks through who made the cut for the Buckingham Palace balcony… 

Prince George waves from the Buckingham Palace balcony, accompanied by his father Prince William, brother Prince Louis, his mother the Princess of Wales, and sister Princess Charlotte 

In 2023, just 14 members of the Royal Family took to the historic spot to mark the King’s birthday celebrations, while this year, the balcony was not much fuller, with 15 members watching the flypast 

1. Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester: The Duke is the youngest grandchild of King George V and Queen Mary and a paternal cousin of the late Queen. He carries out duties on behalf of the royal family and is patron of many societies.

2. Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester: The Dutch-born Duchess married Prince Richard in 1972 and is a full-time working member of the Royal Family. She shares three children with the Duke – none of whom undertake official duties.

3. Prince George: Eldest son of the Prince and Princess of Wales and second-in-line to the throne, George was also pictured alongside his family on the balcony.

4. Prince of Wales: Prince William, heir to the throne, took part in the procession, riding horseback while his wife and children travelled in a carriage.

5. Prince Louis: Often referred to as the ‘cheeky’ royal due to his mischievous antics, Louis was on the balcony today alongside his mother, father and siblings. At some points, he looked rather unimpressed.

6. Princess Charlotte: The Princess was also pictured alongside Louis and King Charles on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

7. Princess of Wales: Kate, 42, who has been receiving chemotherapy for an undisclosed form of cancer since February, travelled in a carriage alongside her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, for the traditional procession through London.

The future Queen was the picture of elegance and grace as she donned a crisp white structured pencil dress which had a bow along the neckline. The designer is believed to be Jenny Packham – many of whose creations Kate has donned before.

This year marked King Charles’s second Trooping the Colour as monarch (seen with his wife Queen Camilla) 

8. King Charles: Last year, the king became the first monarch in more than 30 years to take part in the Colour on horseback. 

It was the first time a reigning monarch has ridden at the Colour since Queen Elizabeth’s horse Burmese carried her during the 1986 ceremony. 

However, this year, he took a carriage, reportedly eschewing riding on doctors’ orders, due to his cancer diagnosis.

9. Queen Camilla: The Queen, who wore pale green silk crepe dress and coat by Anna Valentine, and hat by Philip Treacy, appeared delighted to stand by her husband’s side during the major event.

10. Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh: Sophie, 59, looked stunning in yellow today as she travelled in a carriage alongside her daughter Lady Louise to Horse Guards Parade.

11. Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh: As he did last year, Prince Edward rode during the ceremony today, in his role as Colonel of the 1st Battalion London Guards.

This marked a departure from 2022, when he took a carriage with his wife Sophie.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Lady Louise Windsor and the Princess Royal, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace today

12. Lady Louise Windsor: 20-year-old student Louise, who is studying at St Andrews, missed last year’s Trooping the Colour. 

This year, she travelled to the event in a carriage she shared with her mother Sophie.

13. Princess Anne: The King’s sister, who is often regarded as the ‘hardest working royal’, looked relaxed as she celebrated the annual event with her family. Anne rode horseback alongside Prince William and Prince Edward.

14. Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence: The husband of Princess Anne shared a carriage with the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester today, while his wife rode on horseback.

15. Prince Edward, Duke of Kent: The 88-year-old was present on the balcony alongside the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.