A King’s Birthday To Remember

Trooping The Colour 2025

This past Saturday was one of those days, the days that remind you why we all love royal watching. A day full of history, colour, the very best of British military pomp and ceremony, fashion and a good dose of Prince Louis thrown in for entertainment! I enjoy all of those things just for the sheer fun and entertainment (and sometimes distraction) of it all but in the past couple of years, I’ve come to realise something else. When the world feels like it’s going to hell in a hand basket (and when doesn’t it these days?), it’s days like Trooping the Colour that are a huge reminder of the benefits and comfort of the reassuring stability and constancy of the monarchy. That was very deep for a Friday night, wasn’t it?!

Anyhoo, I’ve put together my take on Trooping the Colour 2025 for you - my thoughts on some of the issues/news stories surrounding the day and then my favourite moments of the day.

Comparing Kate to Diana… Again

Excuse me while I go and bang my head against a brick wall…

Seriously?!! We’re really doing this again?! Okay, I know you’re all probably sick of me talking about this stuff. Believe me, I am too. But after Saturday we were INUNDATED with headlines screaming “Kate cosplaying Diana” “Kate copying Diana”. “Kate Channelling Diana”. I even saw a headline stating that Kate had “recreated” Diana’s outfit.

I just cannot go into this in depth again so here are my main points:

1: Kate’s outfit was not the same colour/style or even length as the ones that people are comparing it to of Diana’s. Neither was her hat. Some of the comparisons were actually laughable .

2: Kate has never compared herself to Diana. William has never, not once, not ever compared Kate to Diana. He actually emphatically stated from the very beginning that Kate would find her own path. Kate is also a very different person than Diana. So on what planet would Kate want to dress like the mother in law she never even met? It’s not like Kate doesn’t generate headlines on her own. It honestly makes no sense to me.

3: Trooping the Colour happens every year and has done for centuries. The dress code has been basically the same for hundreds of years. There are only so many colours and styles and hat shapes in existence that will fit that dress code. OF COURSE there will be similarities between outfits but that doesn’t mean that someone is copying someone else. Kate can’t suddenly invent a new colour or hat style just so she doesn’t get accused of copying Diana. Diana attended major royal events for almost twenty years. I’m sure you could find outfits of hers to compare to Kate’s every time if you stretched hard enough - and, believe me, these people do. Just because an outfit reminds you of something doesn’t mean that Kate intended for that to happen. Just because you dream up a theory doesn’t make it right.

Let Kate be Kate and stop centring Diana in everything.

The Not My King Protestors

This is something that I have been meaning to write about this for some time. There have always, of course, been people in the UK opposed to the monarchy. There have always been people who publicly protested against the monarchy. Since the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the beginning of the reign of King Charles III, the protests have taken on a more consistently public presence. The group have attended major royal events such as the coronation in 2023. They are loud but usually quite small in number and visible thanks to their bright yellow signs and shirt. Their numbers don’t appear to growing by any large amount and the crowds supporting the royal family on both the occasions and the smaller “normal royal engagements” certainly don’t appear to be diminishing.

However, while they are small in numbers, these protests have received what I consider to be extremely disproportionate attention and coverage in the press. Which brings me to Trooping the Colour. There were, of course, there were the usual band of “Not My King” anti monarchy protestors present on Saturday. I’m not going to mock or criticise the protestors because they have as much right to their opinion as anyone else. Just because we all support and enjoy the royal family doesn’t mean that everyone else has to. Where I do have a problem is with the reporting of the protests…

The photos of the royal family passing by the “Not My King” signs in their carriages during the procession proved irresistible to the media. They were shared with click bait headlines and captions. The protestors were interviewed and their opinions blasted across royal media, as if they were the only people there. I would also like to point out that this has been an issue for almost three years. I have seen royal events with crowds of hundreds supporting the royal family and a group of maybe a dozen protestors but the majority of royal reporters lead with and focus on the protests. It’s unbalanced, biased, disingenuous and lazy reporting. It creates a completely false representation of what has occurred.

If journalists are going to write long stories and inflammatory headlines about protests then I feel like it’s only fair that they do the same for the crowds and people there supporting the royal family. Of course the protestors should be reported on and of course it is a story that people are interested in but there should be balanced reporting. So if you’re going to show this:

(Notice how the photos of the protestors are almost always zoomed right in tightly so they look prominent but you can’t see exactly how many there are in context of the bigger crowds? Giving an impression that there are only protestors or that they are in the majority).

Then you should also show and talk about this…

And interview these people as well as protestors…

When did negative voices become the only ones considered valid and newsworthy?

The Slimmed Down Balcony

One thing that always gets discussed during Trooping the Colour is the Buckingham Palace balcony appearance and which family members appear on the balcony for the flypast. Trooping was always the one royal event where the entire extended family was invited on to the balcony for the fly past. Now, we only get to see working members of the family on the balcony - a much reduced number.

For comparison:

The 2018 Trooping the Colour Balcony:

And 2025’s balcony:

The balcony appearance changed several years ago for a couple reasons - primarily the so called “slimmed down monarchy” policy and the omission of certain family members for obvious reasons. I both understand the need for and the reasoning behind the changes. But at the same time. I really do miss the old days of Trooping the Colour when the entire extended family would crowd on to the Buckingham Palace balcony. It was fun because that was the only time during the year that we got to see most of those family members - the Gloucesters, the Kents etc. It only added to the fun spectacle that is Trooping the Colour.

I agree completely that Andrew should not appear - there are very valid reasons for that to not happen. I don’t think it’s likely that the Sussexes are going to fly back to the UK just to be on the balcony for ten minutes. So the logic that if you included other family members they would have to appear is extremely flawed. I completely understand the need for a “slimmed down monarchy” but having extended family members appear on the balcony once a year doesn’t mean they’re suddenly working royals or that taxpayers have to fund their existence. The slimmed down monarchy and a larger balcony appearance don’t have to be mutually exclusive. I think this is one time when the royal family should just bring back this old tradition - I truly don’t see a downside!

My Highlights and Favourite Moments

King Charles

I get surprisingly emotional seeing him at these big royal events, especially something like Trooping the Colour where he is the focal point. This is a role that he has waited so long for and he’s never going to have the length of reign that his mother had. He’s also been through so much, and continues to go through so much with his cancer treatment etc. So it’s wonderful to see him well enough to enjoy these moments. You can tell how much it means to him.

The Duke of Kent Using A Phone To Film/Take Photos of Trooping the Colour

Is this not a great picture? I admire the Duke of Kent so much and I love that we are still getting to see him at the big royal events like Trooping. But this is one image of him that I never expected to see! Seeing him using his phone to take memories just like everyone else is adorable. Especially at his age. And I would love to see his photos!

Sophie & Tim

I love these two. They are both incredible support for their spouses. There’s also something very bonding about being the ones who “married in”, they seem to have a great time together at royal events. These two would know all the good gossip and secrets. Sadly, I feel they are both far too discrete and trustworthy to ever spill. 😂

Prince Louis

Prince Louis’ antics on the balcony are now legendary. To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin - “there are three certainties in life- death, taxes and Louis on the balcony making us laugh”. Last Saturday was no exception. He waved with immense enthusiasm, laughed in the carriage with his big brother Prince George and had a great time watching Trooping the Colour with Sophie. All of which made for many smiles and excellent photos.

But somehow, even with all of those fun pictures, this one of Louis is my favourite from the day. It’s such a lovely shot and captures him so well I think.

THAT Look

“After all this time?” “Always…” I love these two and the strength of their relationship. And on a lighter note, who can blame her for taking a good look…😂

The Family Photo

No words necessary, except look how tall they are all getting?! I know we have seen one other Trooping family photo with William and the children taken in this spot before but I really hope that they do this every year. What an incredible family archive for them to look back on that would be.

The Princess Royal

I don’t really have anything to say about -Anne, except that for the millionth time how much I admire this woman. She’s always such a presence on horseback during Trooping the Colour. We’d all follow her into battle, right?

And finally….her.

I know that Trooping the Colour is a celebration of the King and his birthday but this year also felt like a celebration of the Princess of Wales too. The road she has been on is a long one and will continue to be, in ways we will probably never see or know. So to see her looking so well and happy and wearing a bright, beautiful colour and taking part in a big royal event was just joyful. Last year felt like a sigh of relief, this year felt like a celebration.

These are just a few of the highlights from what was a wonderful day. Trooping the Colour is one of the real royal highlights for me each year. It’s so many of the things that I love about royal watching wrapped into one day - the history and traditions, getting to see all of the royal family and the fabulous fashion. What were your favourite moments from Trooping the Colour this year? I hope that you enjoyed it as much as I did!

Thanks for reading,

Jane.