It’s customary for the royal family to celebrate and commemorate events throughout the year and when it comes to their birthdays, sometimes twice a year. King Charles III has two birthdays celebrated — the day he was born on Nov. 14, 1948, and his “official” birthday in June. This day is marked by the annual Trooping the Colour event.
Normally, the ceremony features over 1,400 parading soldiers, 400 musicians, 200 horses, and many onlookers, according to the royal family’s official website. The parade, which usually starts from Buckingham Palace, also closes with a patriotic showing from the Royal Air Force.
The tradition began with King George II all the way back in 1748. The reason was the weather — King George II’s birthday was in November, which is a terrible month for weather in Britain. In order to best celebrate outdoors, it was decided that a big outdoor celebration would take place in June to take advantage of the better summer weather. Since then, the Trooping the Colour event has taken place in June, regardless of when the ruling monarch’s actual birthday is.
It is also an opportunity for royal fans to see members of the royal family on the Buckingham Palace balcony, who are dressed up to enjoy the festivities. In 2019, Prince Louis took part in his very first “Trooping The Colour” event, and he was dressed in an outfit that first appeared way back in 1986 by his uncle Prince Harry. He stole the show again at 5 years old in 2023 with his cheeky ways.
Louis’s antics made headlines again for the 2024 event, and he almost upstaged his mother, Catherine, the Princess of Wales, as she made her return to the public eye after announcing she was battling cancer earlier this year.
Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Louis, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (2019), (IMAGO/PPE)
In 2019, heir to the throne and King Charles III’s son Prince William’s then-5-year-old first-born son Prince George and then-3-year-old daughter Princess Charlotte joined their family on the balcony, but it was their little brother, Prince Louis, who stole the show with his exuberant waving. It was the then 1-year-old’s first Trooping the Colour and it seemed like he was a natural at royal ceremonies.
There was a deja vu moment with the little boy’s appearance, however, since Louis was wearing the same white shirt with blue embroidery that his uncle Prince Harry wore in 1986, as reported by Harper’s Bazaar. In 1986, it was Harry’s second Trooping the Colour event, and in old photos, Harry was seen being held by Princess Anne, who donned a gorgeous yellow dress. The Princess of Wales Kate Middleton channeled the same color as she wore a pastel yellow dress in 2019 for the event and even had the same tilt of the hat as Anne. These photos felt like a mirror through time.
Town and Country reported that Louis’s garment choice might have been intentional, as it alluded to the analogy that he was the second brother in the family, much like Harry. When he reaches adulthood, Louis’s royal life and duties may resemble that of Harry’s.
The royal family makes it a point to recycle the clothing that previous generations wore. The choice of classic attire with timeless silhouettes, patterns and colors makes sure that the clothes can be passed on through time. Some fans on social media have noticed that Prince George actually wore the same outfit in 2015 that his dad wore to the 1984 Trooping the Colour, and once again emulated his dad at his sister’s christening.
