The Duke of Kent joined members of the Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace as they welcomed King Charles III back from Trooping the Colour.
Prince Edward, who is 90-years-old, took his place among senior royals gathered for the traditional balcony appearance following the King’s Birthday Parade.
The Duke watched as King Charles and Queen Camilla returned from Horse Guards Parade after taking part in the annual military spectacle marking the Sovereign’s official birthday.
Also on the balcony were the Duchess of Edinburgh, Sir Tim Laurence and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
Earlier in the day, thousands of spectators lined The Mall to watch the King’s Birthday Parade.
King Charles and Queen Camilla travelled to Horse Guards Parade in a carriage drawn by Windsor Greys, while the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal and the Duke of Edinburgh took part in the parade on horseback.
The Princess of Wales travelled by carriage alongside Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, with the young royals waving to crowds as they made their way through central London.
The Duke of Kent’s presence on the balcony was particularly significant given his long association with Trooping the Colour.
For decades, Prince Edward played a central role in the ceremony, riding in the parade and later accompanying Queen Elizabeth II during some of the most important moments of her reign.
In the later years of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, he regularly joined his cousin on the dais at Horse Guards Parade as she took the salute.
His support became especially poignant in 2021 when, following the death of the Duke of Edinburgh and amid the restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic, he joined the late Queen for a scaled-down Trooping the Colour in the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle.
A year later, he stood alongside Queen Elizabeth II during her final Trooping the Colour as Platinum Jubilee celebrations got underway.
Additional reporting by Lydia Starbuck
