Her Majesty, accompanied by members of the Royal Family, was present
at The Queen's Birthday Parade on Horse Guards Parade at which The
Queen's Colour of the No. 7 Company Coldstream Guards was trooped.
There's standing out on a parade ground, and then there's STANDING OUT ON A PARADE GROUND. It's Her Maj's birthday, she can be radioactive if she wants to!
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| © MOD Crown copyright 2016/POA(Phot) Owen Cooban |
To go along with this vibrant Stewart Parvin coat and Rachel Trevor-Morgan hat, The Queen chose (as she always does these days) the Brigade of Guards Badge. The badge combines the symbols of the Grenadier Guards, the Coldstream Guards, the Welsh Guards, the Irish Guards, and the Scots Guards, and you can read more at the link below.
Three Strand Pearl Necklace
Following along in the first carriage were The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Harry.
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| © MOD Crown copyright 2016/POA(Phot) Owen Cooban |
The Duchess of Cambridge followed up on yesterday's use of the hat she wore to Princess Charlotte's christening by using the Alexander McQueen coat from that christening today. She wore a Philip Treacy hat - an interesting choice, she's certainly worn him in the past but not so much during her marriage. The hair, clearly, is to die for.
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| © MOD Crown copyright 2016/Sgt Rupert Frere |
The Duchess of Cornwall's jewelry choices have been pretty common this year - her pearl Prince of Wales Feathers brooch again, and the larger of her two diamond clasp pearl chokers - but an understated selection may have been for the best with this very, uh, active hat.
Pearl and Diamond Prince of Wales Feathers Brooch
Four Strand Pearl Choker with Large Diamond Clasp
Everyday Pearl Earrings
In another carriage, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie rode with The Duke of York and The Duke of Kent (Colonel of the Scots Guards, but no longer riding in the parade). Princess Beatrice's repeated orange peel hat would have been a bright point at nearly any other time, but on this day she was soundly outdone by her grandmother.
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| © MOD Crown copyright 2016/POA(Phot) Owen Cooban |
At the end of the procession, the whole Wessex family shared a carriage: The Earl and Countess with Lady Louise and Viscount Severn, making his carriage procession debut. Sophie sort of looks like she backed into a floral arrangement, but a lovely one at that. And Lady Louise is giving Kate some competition in the elaborate hair stakes! You know I'm all for that.
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| © MOD Crown copyright 2016/Sgt Rupert Frere |
Last from the procession but never least, The Queen's royal escort on horse: The Prince of Wales (Colonel of the Welsh Guards), The Duke of Cambridge (Irish Guards), and The Princess Royal (Blues and Royals). Looking smart, as though it could be any other way.
UPDATE: The balcony was positively overflowing with royals in this big birthday year. Let's see what we've got here...
If you've never watched the Trooping (in person or via broadcast), there are two separate balcony appearances: one when assembled family members watch The Queen arrive back at Buckingham Palace, and a second with The Queen and the Royal Colonels to watch the flypast. (Just in case you wondered why people seem to swap places, going from photos alone.)
THAT GREEN. I'm sorry, it needed to be said again.
Princess Charlotte was the star of the show in her balcony debut, and Prince George made his second appearance. He wore an old outfit of his father's the first time around, and so it was again: this is the outfit Prince William wore to Prince Harry's christening.
Happily - and unusually - The Princess Royal's children were up on the balcony this year! This is no doubt due to Peter Phillips' involvement in the Patron's Lunch tomorrow; he was interviewed during the BBC's broadcast (and just slipped back to the balcony at the end, you can see him behind The Duke of Edinburgh). I could not love Autumn Phillips' spectacular shade of blue more.
The balcony was flush with the Kent branch of the family - nice to see
Lady Helen Taylor and daughters, she wasn't much featured at yesterday's
service - but out of them all, I find the most appreciation for Prince
Michael and his sharp lapel trim.
I'm
very interested in The Duchess of Gloucester in a not-beanie
hat (far left). Next to her, the orange and teal combination sported by
her daughter-in-law, The Countess of Ulster, is a welcome shot of color
on this side of the balcony.
That's not everybody, so here's the full shot:
Photos: BBC screencaps unless otherwise noted
