It was the crowning moment of a historic day when the Royal Family appeared on the balcony to greet the cheering crowds gathered below Buckingham Palace.
Despite the rain that dampened the celebration, thousands came out from the two sides of The Mall and, walking orderly behind MET police officers, reached the space in front of Buckingham Palace and around the Queen Victoria Memorial.
And then, the moment they had all been waiting for at 2:26 pm, four minutes in advance, the famous balcony doors opened, and the King and Queen emerged from the Palace, still dressed in all the regalia.
Behind them were their eight Pages of Honour, as well as working members of the Royal Family. Prince George of Wales, Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, Ralph Tollemache and Nicholas Barclay were behind the King, while Gus and Louis Lopes, Freddy Parker Bowles and Arthur Elliott were helping the Queen. The Queen’s Companions, Annabel Elliott and Lady Lansdowne, also appeared.
Embed from Getty ImagesAlongside them were the Prince and Princess of Wales with their two youngest children, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis; the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh with their children, the Earl of Wessex and Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and the Princess Royal and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence also joined.
On the other side were the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester (King George VI’s nephew and his wife), the Duke of Kent (cousin to Queen Elizabeth II) and Princess Alexandra (the Duke of Kent’s younger sister).
Embed from Getty ImagesAll of them greeted the crowds in front of them before raising their eyes to the sky, where a significantly reduced flypast roared above their heads.
It was originally anticipated that the RAF would be able to give a full demonstration of its aircraft and capabilities, but the inclement weather conditions only allowed for five formations of helicopters to fly safely.
And naturally, the Red Arrows concluded the show with their iconic red, white and blue stripes painting the sky above the Mall, Queen Victoria Memorial and Buckingham Palace.
Shortly thereafter, the Royal Family decided that it was time to go back inside for some official pictures. The public quickly started leaving the square to escape from the rain, but before they left, they got a massive surprise.
King Charles and Queen Camilla decided to go out on the balcony once again, this time just the two of them, to salute the thousands of people that braved the downpour to cheer for them and support them.
The reduced number of family members appearing on the balcony seems to be in line with a decision made by Queen Elizabeth II for the celebrations of her Platinum Jubilee; only working members of the family appeared on the balcony.
This seems to be a way both for the monarch to pay tribute to those family members who support their duties through their work and a way for the public to also be able to thank the members of the Royal Family who, with their work, contribute to carrying on the legacy of work on key issues in modern society.
