Three Cheers to King Charles' Birthday Parade! See All the Best Photos from Trooping the Colour

Kate Middleton, Prince Louis, Queen Camilla and more gathered in London for the annual event (but with many firsts!)

King Charles' first official birthday parade as monarch was a celebration filled with pageantry, touching tributes — and some hilarious moments from the royal kids!

Trooping the Colour gathered members of the royal family — including Queen Camilla, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — in London. As usual, there was a stunning display by the armed forces both on the ground and in the air, as a flypast took place over Buckingham Palace, but the event was a big debut for King Charles: his first time being at the center of the festivities as monarch.

Check out the best photos of the historic day, from the horse-drawn carriage rides to the Buckingham Palace balcony appearance.

King Charles Rides

The King saddled up on a horse named Noble for his ceremonial role as Colonel in Chief of the seven regiments of the Household Division of the British Army, a first for a British monarch in 37 years. Queen Elizabeth last rode during Trooping the Colour in 1986 on her beloved horse Burmese and opted to take a carriage in the years that followed.

Saddled Up

Three other royals joined the King on horseback: Prince William, Prince Edward (for the first time!) and Princess Anne.

Royal Ladies

Queen Camilla and Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales took part in the procession in a horse-drawn carriage.

Glowing in Green

Princess Kate's ensemble included many thoughtful tributes. The green color doubled as a nod to both her role as Colonel of the Irish Guards and a color of the Welsh flag (in her debut at Trooping the Colour as Princess of Wales). The dress was by Andrew Gn, a fashion designer from Singapore — a clear dedication to her husband Prince William's Earthshot Prize, which will hold its third awards ceremony in the Asian country in November.

Military-Inspired

Queen Camilla wore a dress inspired by the uniform of the Grenadier Guards, the Household Division regiment for which she is honorary Colonel. The Queen topped the look with a black Philip Treacy hat nodding to the Grenadier Guards’ classic bearskin hats with feather plume.

Royal Kids

Royal siblings Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis also rode with Camilla and Kate in the Ascot Landau.

Oops!

At one point during the ride, Prince Louis held his nose and made a face — likely the result of the smell of hundreds of horses in the parade!

Rehearsed to Perfection

At Horse Guards Parade, the royals watched as the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards presented their flag, or "colour."

Back to the Palace

After riding back to Buckingham Palace, the royals gathered on the balcony for a favorite photo op: the flypast!

Look Up!

King Charles, Queen Camilla and other members of the royal family turned toward the sky as airplanes performed an aerial display overhead.

Special Surprise

In a surprise moment, planes flew in formation to create "CR," King Charles' initials. While the "C" stands for Charles, "R" is shorthand for "rex," the Latin word for king. The monarch signs his name as "Charles R."

Royal Wave

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis all greeted the crowd below with waves — with Louis pulling off a double-handed move!

Let's Go, Louis!

Prince Louis was especially thrilled at one point in the flypast, raising both fists excitedly in the air.

Royal Salute

Prince Louis also gave a salute during the balcony outing.

King and Queen

King Charles and Queen Camilla last appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony just last month, when they capped off their coronation day by greeting the public from the iconic spot.

Red, White and Blue

Happy (official!) birthday, King Charles!

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