King Charles III will be present at the Trooping the Color gala, scheduled for June 15, Vanity Fair announced with information from Buckingham Palace. This event is one of the oldest British traditions, dating back more than 260 years, and the King's official birthday is celebrated with a military parade. Queen Camilla is set to attend King Charles III, while Prince William is also expected to take part. But the most notable absence will be the absence of Princess of Wales Kate Middleton due to her chemotherapy.
During the 2023 ceremony, King Charles III paraded the troops on horseback, and according to Vanity Fair, he wanted to repeat the feat this year. Although he has medical approval to attend, the king will parade the troops in a horse-drawn landau carriage, accompanied by Queen Camilla.
Trooping the Color is one of the highlights of the Royal Family's calendar and traditionally brings all members together on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. During the reign of Elizabeth II, the King's birthday was officially celebrated at the beginning of June, although his actual birthday falls on 21 April. Charles III is maintaining this tradition, with the 2024 ceremony scheduled to take place on June 15, even though his birthday falls on November 14.
This year, there will be three review sessions. The first, on June 1, will be reviewed by Major General Bauder. The second, on 8 June, was to be reviewed by the Princess of Wales, Colonel of the Irish Guards, but owing to his health, this responsibility would be taken over by Lieutenant-General James Bucknall. The third and main session, on June 15, will be for King Charles III and will serve as an official birthday parade, as detailed on the event's website.
In February, King Charles III publicly revealed that he had been diagnosed with cancer and would be taking a break from his public commitments for chemotherapy. After an absence, he returned to public events at the end of April. The Princess of Wales's health status remains more conservative. Kate Middleton has not appeared in public events since Christmas Mass. After undergoing abdominal surgery in January, she was seen in a video in March announcing that she would undergo preventive chemotherapy due to her cancer diagnosis, and has remained out of the public eye since then.
Kate Middleton will be absent from Trooping the Color, but other members of the royal family are expected to attend, including Prince William. There is still no confirmation about the participation of the couple's children, Princes George, Charlotte and Louis. This ceremony, in addition to being an important event for the monarchy, represents an opportunity to bring the royal family together and celebrate with the public.
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