Meghan Markle Attends Her First Major Event as Member of the Royal Family

Newlyweds Prince Harry and Meghan attended Trooping the Colour on Saturday in London, England’s public celebration of the Queen’s birthday where the whole royal family (minus Prince Philip, who retired from royal duties last year) gathered at Buckingham Palace in their finest. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined William and Kate with George and Charlotte, Prince Charles and Camilla, and the Queen herself to ride in the parade and watch the Royal Air Force flyby from the balcony of the palace.

About 1,000 marched to Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall, with the event attended by large crowds of spectators who lined the grounds. Among those soldiers was Guardsman Charanpreet Singh Lall, a 22-year-old Sikh from Leicester, the first soldier in the parade’s history to wear a turban instead of a bearskin hat. Trooping the Colour has commemorated the sovereign’s birthday for more than 250 years.

Savannah Phillips, daughter of William’s cousin Peter Phillips, stood between George and Charlotte on the balcony, and as the older cousin took the opportunity to shush George:

Three carriages led the procession, the first bearing Camilla and Kate, the second (greeted by big cheers) carrying Harry and Meghan, and the third Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie of York and Sophie, Countess of Wessex.

Trooping the Colour has been held every year since the parade began, with the exception of 1955 when it was cancelled because of a general strike.

The parade was attended by 7,500 guests, including Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson and US Defense Secretary General James Mattis.

Get Vanity Fair’s Royal Watch
A weekly overview of the chatter from Kensington Palace and beyond.

Let’s block ads! (Why?)