Princess Anne was perfectly poised as she joined the King’s official birthday parade on horseback today.
The former equestrian, 75, made her way to the Horse Guards Parade from Buckingham Palace alongside the Prince of Wales, 43, and the Duke of Edinburgh, as X users declared she is ‘wonderful’.
In her role as Colonel of the Blues and Royals, Charles’s no-nonsense sister wore the regiment’s uniform and gave a solemn salute before heading towards Whitehall with her brother and nephew.
Riding behind King Charles, who travelled to the parade ground alongside Queen Camilla in a carriage, Anne was atop one of the ‘Mounties’ presented to the monarch by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 2023.
The choice was especially poignant as Noble was the last horse that His Majesty rode during a Trooping the Colour ceremony before he was diagnosed with cancer in 2024.
It was reported last year that the King will no longer ride in the parade as he continues to receive treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer, with a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace explaining he will instead travel by carriage.
And there is no one better than Princess Anne to take over Nobel’s reins, as the Princess Royal is considered the hardest working royal as well as an ‘outstanding horsewoman’.
The Princess, who became the first British royal to take part in the Olympics as part of the equestrian team in 1976, today proved she is just as comfortable on horseback as she was 50 years ago.
King Charles led a slimmed-down contingent of senior royals, including Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales, on the Buckingham Palace balcony as London was painted red, white and royal blue to mark the monarch’s official birthday.
Princess Anne was perfectly poised as she joined the King’s official birthday parade on horseback today
The Princess Royal, 75, with her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence during today’s flypast over Buckingham Palace
Shortly after the spectacular Red Arrows flypast rounded out the celebrations, Prince William and Catherine shared an intimate video of the family laughing and larking about to mark the joyous occasion on Instagram.
Unlike during the ceremony, Anne was captured in fits of laughter while Charles appeared delighted by something his daughter-in-law Catherine said, as the video was captioned: ‘All set for The King’s Birthday Parade!’
Prince William, 43, who joined the procession on horseback, could be heard asking an aide ‘How are you?’ before mounting his horse, Darby.
The future King confirmed he was also feeling ‘good’ ahead of the parade, before the clip cut to his children, Prince George, 12, and Princess Charlotte, 11, enjoying their carriage ride.
Other sweet moments included King Charles and Camilla’s lighthearted conversation moments before departing for Horse Guards Parade, and well-wishers, wearing T-shirts with the Union Jack flag printed on them, waving excitedly for the cameras.
‘Beautiful family,’ one Instagram user commented, while a royal fan who travelled to The Mall said it was ‘such a delight’ to see them in person.
Earlier in the day, the royals attended the monarch’s official birthday at Horse Guards Parade in London as throngs of fans flocked to The Mall to witness the stunning display of military pomp and pageantry.
Kate, 44, putting on a typically elegant display in a Catherine Walker light blue and white coat dress and a matching Philip Treacy hat, was sat next to her youngest Louis, eight, when travelling in the royal carriage procession.
In her role as Colonel of the Blues and Royals, Charles’s no-nonsense sister wore the Full Ceremonial Order of the regiment
Anne was atop one of the ‘Mounties’ presented to the monarch by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 2023
The Princess Royal leaning towards her husband while watching the Red Arrows flypast from the palace balcony
The Princess, who became the first British royal to take part in the Olympics as part of the equestrian team in 1976, today proved she is just as comfortable on horseback as she was 50 years ago
Unlike during the ceremony, Anne was captured in fits of laughter in a behind-the-scenes clip from the ceremony shared by the Prince and Princess of Wales
Charlotte, 11, and George, 12, looking smart in a suit and a tie that matched his mother’s ensemble, were placed opposite the pair in the open-top coach.
The King, meanwhile, wore his military uniform, with Queen Camilla wearing a red silk crepe Grenadier Guards uniform dress, designed by Fiona Clare, as the two travelled from Buckingham Palace to the parade grounds.
It was a family affair for the Firm as the Prince of Wales rode on horseback while wearing the Full Ceremonial Order of the Welsh Guards.
Charles’ anniversary was celebrated with a display of military pomp and pageantry that showcased the best of the Army’s ceremonial prowess on Horse Guards Parade in front of the royal family and thousands of spectators.
Trooping the Colour is a historic ceremony where colours, or regimental flags, used as rallying points in battle, were ‘trooped’ or paraded in front of soldiers so they would be recognised, leading to them taking on great symbolic importance as the heart and soul of a regiment.
The ceremony evolved into a celebration of the head of state’s official birthday and this year the colour trooped was the King’s Colour of the Grenadier Guards, presented by the King earlier this week during a Buckingham Palace ceremony.
Trooping is as much a social occasion as a ceremonial event and stands around Horse Guards Parade were filled with about 8,000 family members of the guards and officers on parade.
