Trooping the Colour 'snubbed' by Prince Harry as King makes major point quite clear

Trooping the Colour 'snubbed' by Prince Harry as King makes major point quite clear The King's official birthday parade - Trooping the Colour - is set to take place later today and will culminate in a Royal Family balcony appearance, but it will only be for select royals It is one of the highlights of the royal calendar that sees the entire Firm out in force for a celebration of pomp and pageantry. But Trooping the Colour, the King’s official birthday parade, which takes place later today, has certainly seen some changes over the years. Gone are the days of the monarch’s whole extended family filling the Buckingham Palace balcony for the RAF flypast - and instead, balcony spots are limited to working royals only. This means that since quitting their royal roles in 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan have not made it onto the palace balcony for the event’s finale. They did attend Trooping in 2022 as part of the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, but did not appear on the balcony. And since then, the couple has had a severely rocky relationship with their royal relatives after railing against them in their Netflix documentary as well as Harry’s controversial memoir, Spare. However, more recently, Harry has talked about wanting to reconcile with his father the King, as well as his brother, Prince William. So will he be watching them in action today, take part in the military parade? According to former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond, the Duke of Sussex will probably give it a miss. She told the Mirror : “I very much doubt that Harry will be watching from California, even though it’s an event in which I’m sure he was always pleased to take part, proudly wearing his military uniform.” She added: “I also think the King is right to keep the balcony appearance focused on the small band of working Royals. This is really a very formal occasion, and it illustrates the fact that there are now just a few royals funded by taxpayers to carry out a huge amount of public appearances.” The annual event of Trooping the Colour has marked the official birthday of the King or Queen for more than 260 years. The ceremony involves hundreds of horses and soldiers carrying out complex battlefield drill manoeuvres to military music. More than 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians come together for the impressive display. During the parade, the royals will travel from Buckingham Palace down The Mall to Horse Guards Parade in a procession - either on horseback or in carriages. At Horse Guards, they then watch the military display before joining the procession back to Buckingham Palace once it is over. After the parade, the royals then gather on the Palace balcony for a march-past and the fly-past by the RAF, which includes the Red Arrows, and will conclude the day's celebrations. This year’s event comes after a period of instability for the Royal Family - especially when it comes to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in a public office earlier this year. And Jennie believes the royals will be hoping a show of unity today can draw a line under past scandals. She added: “Spectacles like Trooping do underline the continuity of monarchy as politicians come and go, the monarch remains, creating an impression of some sort of stability in these troubled times. And of course these have been troubled times for the Royal Family too, but this is an opportunity to show that — despite the torrid headlines — they are intent on carrying out their duties and that the core of the family remains very much intact and united. “There’s absolutely no doubt that they will be hoping for a quieter summer. But it could be a forlorn wish, with a visit from Harry imminent as he publicises the upcoming Invictus Games, and the Andrew saga endlessly creating new headlines.”