The balcony appearance at Buckingham Palace is the centerpiece of almost all royal celebrations in Britain. However, for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee only ‘working royals’ will be present
Britain is waking up to a day of pomp, pageantry and great enthusiasm as Queen Elizabeth II marks her Platinum Jubilee.
This means that the 96-year-old monarch has reigned over for 70 years — her reign is already longer than that of her four predecessors put together. To put it in perspective, her time as monarch has seen 14 different United Kingdom prime minister and 14 different United States presidents. Talk about longevity!
To mark this occasion, several events have been organised and will be conducted till the weekend.
Celebrations will begin today with the Queen’s birthday parade, known as Trooping the Colour and will culminate on Sunday with the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, in which artistic performers, dancers, musicians, military personnel, key workers and volunteers will unite to bring iconic moments from the Queen’s reign to life in a festival of creativity.
We take a look at what the Queen’s birthday parade is all about and why her grandson Harry and wife Meghan won’t be a part of the ritual balcony appearance.
What’s the Trooping the Colour parade?
Trooping the Colour, also known as the Queen’s Birthday Parade, is an annual military parade to mark the reigning monarch’s official birthday.
It was first used to mark the sovereign’s birthday in 1748 during the reign of King George II and became an annual event after the accession of King George III in 1760.
It is held in early June on the parade ground the other side of St James’ Park to Buckingham Palace, known as Horse Guards Parade.
The ceremony, which has been ongoing for the past 260 years, will see over 1,400 parading soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians come together in a great display of military precision, horsemanship and fanfare to mark The Queen’s official birthday.
The display closes with a Royal Air Force fly-past, watched by Members of the Royal Family from Buckingham Palace balcony.
Each year, the entire royal family comes together on the balcony at Buckingham Palace to view this spectacle. In the past, the Trooping the Colour ceremony and the balcony displays have led to some of the ‘nicest Royal Family moments’ — who can forget when Prince George made his debut on the balcony wearing the same outfit that his dad William wore at Her Majesty’s Birthday Parade in 1984.
It was last in 2019 that the entire Royal Family collected on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch a fly-past of aircraft by the Royal Air Force during the ceremony of Trooping the Colour. AFP
Balcony to look different this year
While every year, the Buckingham Palace balcony hosts all members of the Royal Family, things will be a bit different for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
It has been reported that the appearance will be limited to working members of the royal family.
This means that the Queen’ son Prince Andrew, and her grandson Prince Harry, and his wife Meghan will not be seen with the rest of the family.
The Daily Mail has reported that Harry and Meghan, with their children, Archie and Lilibet, have been invited by the Queen to join family members watching the spectacular military event from the Major General’s Office overlooking the Whitehall parade ground. It is where dignitaries traditionally watch from if they are not involved in the parade proceedings.
This will be a major family reunion moment, as Meghan has not seen any of the family since she and her husband acrimoniously quit as working royals and moved to North America in early 2020, while the prince only saw them very briefly at the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral last year.
In the matter of Prince Andrew, a source was quoted as telling Daily Mail that he won’t make an appearance at all.
Prince Andrew was stripped of military affiliations and royal patronages in January as he faced a civil sexual assault case in the United States. The case was dismissed in February after he reached a settlement with Virginia Giuffre, who alleged she was sexually abused when she was underage. The settlement included an undisclosed payment, with Prince Andrew making a “substantial donation” to Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights.
As per a report in the Associated Press, the limited balcony lineup is also consistent with a longstanding desire by Prince Charles to slim down the monarchy.
So, who will make it to the balcony?
The Queen will be flanked by her 73-year-old heir, Charles, and his wife Camilla; Prince William, the second in line to the throne, with his wife Kate and their three children; and Charles’ siblings, Princess Anne and Prince Edward, along with their spouses.
Several other less recognisable working royals will join the group, including the queen’s cousin, the Duke of Gloucester and his wife, as well as the Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra.
“It was making a point, it’s saying — this is the future, folks,” Robert Hardman, the monarch’s biographer and author of “Queen of Our Times: The Life of Elizabeth II” was quoted as telling The Associated Press.
“It’s not a case of Andrew or Harry or Meghan being barred from the balcony,” Hardman added. “They have withdrawn from royal duties, so they’re not part of the operational unit. That’s what it’s all about.”
Appearances on the balcony have often provided humour. In 2018, everyone was smiling when they saw Savannah Phillips shushing Prince George during the fly-past. AFP
Significance of the balcony
For many royal watchers, the balcony appearance isn’t just a family photo-op. The balcony moment sends a message about who are the most important players on the royal stage.
Professor Pauline Maclaran of the Centre for the Study of Modern Monarchy at Royal Holloway, University of London told the BBC, “It shows the durability of the monarchy, even though the faces change.”
Also, the balcony appearance gives the monarchy a chance to connect to the crowds. The balcony works well as a platform for projecting the monarchy, says Professor Heather Jones, author and history professor at University College London. “It makes the royals visible but at the same time keeps a sense of distance.”
The balcony has also offered moments of humour — Prince Harry sticking out his tongue during the 1988 ceremony or when Savannah Phillips was seen shushing Prince George in 2018.
With inputs from agencies
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