King Charles’ official birthday celebrations, Trooping the Colour 2023, included his wife, Queen Camilla, son, Prince William, and daughter-in-law, Princess Kate.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who are believed to have stayed in Montecito, California where they reside with their two children Archie and Lilibet, are two important people who are missing. Royal fans may have noticed this.
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who have previously participated in the birthday parade for the late Queen Elizabeth II on numerous occasions, are likely to have fond memories of the occasion. Harry, who revealed Meghan had an awkward encounter with Kate during her first Trooping the Colour appearance with the royal family back in 2018, days after they returned to the UK from their honeymoon, said not all of the memories would be pleasant.
In his book Spare, which was published in January, he made a number of confessions, including this one. He acknowledged that when Duchess Meghan attempted to crack a joke in private with the Princess of Wales, there was a “yawning silence.”
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The incident was one of Harry and Meghan’s first public outings as newlyweds, and he reflected on it by saying, “Everyone present was in a good mood, upbeat. Then, Kate queried Meg on her impressions of her first Trooping the Color. Colorful, Meg jokingly added. A yawning silence also posed a threat to engulf us all.
The Duke and Duchess traveled to the UK in 2022 to attend Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations and the late Queen Elizabeth II’s final Trooping the Colour.
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The royals did not gather on the Buckingham Palace balcony to view the flypast, but the Duchess was observed having a sweet conversation with Savannah and Isla Phillips and Mia and Lena Tindall at the windows.
The third Saturday in June, when Trooping the Colour takes place, is the monarch’s official birthday; the King’s actual birthday is on November 14.
Since it was his first Trooping as the current monarch, this year’s event was significant for Harry’s father. He rode onto Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall as the head of state after filling in for Queen Elizabeth II’s Birthday Parade the previous year.
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The Princess Royal, Gold Stick in Waiting and Colonel of The Blues and Royals, the Prince of Wales, Colonel of the Welsh Guards, and the Duke of Edinburgh, Colonel of the 1st Battalion London Guards, all joined him on horses.
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From Buckingham Palace, they made their way down The Mall to Horse Guard’s Parade. The 1st Battalion Welsh Guards Troop presented their Colors for Charles, Queen Camilla, and other royals. The royals will return to Buckingham Palace for the fly-past and March Past after the parade.
