Sophie Winkleman looks elegant in £795 Beulah London dress at Trooping the Colour with Lord Frederick Windsor
Sophie Winkleman and Lord Frederick Windsor put on an elegant display at Trooping the Colour yesterday.
Though King Charles 's second cousin, 46, and his Peep Show actress wife, 44, haven't appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony since 2019, they presumably observed the RAF flypast from inside.
Nevertheless, Sophie put on a striking display in a £795 'Ahana' long-sleeved belted midi dress in purple from Beulah London.
The mother to daughters Maud, 11, and Isabella, eight, added a striking pale pink fascinator and a matching pearlescent bag to complete her ensemble.
Frederick looked as equally smart for the occasion in a black tailcoat jacket, grey suit, and blue tie.
Beulah London, who also dressed Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh yesterday, shared a snap of the couple on Instagram, writing, 'Lady Sophie Windsor in our Ahana at Trooping the Colour'.
Over the years, the number of royals invited onto the balcony has steadily dwindled - especially during the reign of King Charles, who ascended the throne in 2022 after the death of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
In 2024, 15 members of the Royal Family took to the historic spot on the occasion of the King's birthday celebrations.
This year, the turnout was even smaller, with just 14 royals taking to the famous location - amid King Charles' plans for a more 'slimmed-down' monarchy.
Charles, 76, is thought to prefer the idea of a slimmed-down monarchy and has been selective about which royals appear to wave at the crowds.
This year, unsurprisingly, King Charles and Queen Camilla stood front and centre on the balcony to watch the Red Arrows flypast, with a host of senior royals alongside them. They were joined by Prince William, 42, the Princess of Wales, 43, and their children, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, seven.
The King's younger sister, Princess Anne, 74, also took up a spot on the balcony alongside her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, 70.
Two other popular royals, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, 60, and her husband Prince Edward, 61, were also present. However, Sophie and Edward were not joined by their daughter, Lady Louise, 21. Also absent was their son James, the Earl of Wessex, 17, who also missed the ceremony last year.
Among the older royals to take to the balcony were the Duke of Kent, 89, and the Duke of Gloucester, 80, joined by his 78-year-old wife Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester.
As expected, Prince Harry, 40, and his wife Meghan Markle, 43, did not attend this year's celebrations. They have not been present at Trooping the Colour since 2019, following their decision to exit working royal life.
The other notable absentee was Prince Andrew, 65, who remains exiled from royal events amid the fallout from his relationship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and the claims made by his late accuser Virginia Giuffre - which the royal has denied.
Elsewhere yesterday, Prince William and Kate Middleton's youngest child, Louis, put on his most animated display yet as he waved excitedly at fans while showing off his gap-toothed grin - much to the amusement of his siblings.
Ever the composed older brother, Prince George gently tried to calm Louis down by placing one hand on his arm as their father William, 40, looked affectionately down at his sons - while Princess Kate and Charlotte, 10, took in their surroundings.
At one point, Louis turned to his grandfather Charles and appeared to make an observation about the fighter jets flying overhead as a body language expert noted Louis' effervescent personality shone through from the balcony.
If Louis once found the proceedings overwhelming, you wouldn't know it from the way he snuck in one final wave before Kate, 43, gently ushered her brood back into Buckingham Palace after the spectacular flypast was concluded.
Commenting on the young royal's reluctance to go back inside, Judi James told MailOnline: 'There was a seismic change in royal body language signals on the balcony with Louis suddenly morphing into the most visible and active royal but for all the right reasons.
'Instead of his usual playful activities, he appeared totally focused on the aircraft, only turning to his dad to show off his plane spotting skills, with the affirming nods from William suggesting his younger son is becoming a bit of an aircraft expert
'It was also Louis lingering longer before going back in, to gaze down at the crowds and to keep up the increasingly royal looking waves longer than the rest of the Firm.'
Taking cues from his father and grandfather, Louis attempted different variations of his royal wave while making sure his siblings were thoroughly entertained throughout their balcony appearance - one of the most eagerly-awaited moments of the day.
Louis also joined Princess Charlotte, Prince George, and the Duchess of Edinburgh in observing one minute of silence in honour of the 241 passengers and crew killed in the Air India plane crash on Thursday, when a Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for Gatwick Airport came down in the Indian city of Ahmedabad.
During the King's Birthday Parade - the third of Charles' reign - the Wales children rode in a carriage with Kate as they waved at onlookers gathered along The Mall to watch the procession.
Prince Louis caught the attention of royal watchers as he flashed a cheeky grin and waved at the assembled crowds during Trooping the Colour.
As the carriage made its way towards Buckingham Palace, Louis grinned sheepishly at Prince George as Kate and Charlotte - who both paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II by wearing pieces of jewellery she loved - laughed and chatted away.
As their carriage pulled up outside the gates of Buckingham Palace, George couldn't help himself from laughing as Louis pulled funny faces while feigning exasperation as the cheekiest royal dramatically leaned back into his seat.
When Prince George covered his face, his younger brother quickly followed suit and copied his actions before Kate led her and Prince William's children inside to prepare them for the flypast.
Ahead of yesterday's celebrations, crowds of well-wishers and royal fans had started lining the Mall. If the cardboard cutouts they carried were any indication, the Princess of Wales' arrival was most eagerly anticipated.
Photos showed a group of Britons holding up a life-sized picture of the Princess of Wales, wearing the red, long-sleeved Alexander McQueen dress she most famously donned for the Diamond Jubilee pageant in 2012.
Another person was carting around a cut-out of King Charles, dressed in full military regalia, in a show of support for the monarch as he continues to receive treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer.
No doubt the appearance of Prince Louis - the youngest of the Wales' siblings - was also highly anticipated.
He is known for his cheeky antics, and last year he stole the show. During one of his many animated displays, the young prince was caught on camera scrunching up his face, while Kate appeared to crouch down to talk with her son on a balcony on Horse Guards Parade.
The Prince and Princess of Wales' youngest child was also captured yawning at the London event, which usually consists of more than 1,400 parading soldiers, 200 horses, 400 musicians and a flyover of 70 aircraft.
Seemingly not occupied enough by the parade, at one point, the cheeky prince was even caught tugging on the cord for the blinds as he chatted to his mother.
Louis, who was wearing a double breasted blazer, a pair of shorts, a crisp shirt and a tie last year, could not hide his facial expressions - much to the enjoyment of fans.
He even attempted to try and open the window on the balcony next to the Duchess of Edinburgh, gripping the frame as he tried to pull it up.
And the prince looked less than impressed during the ride, knitting his brows together at points as he stared out of the window, open-mouthed.
The Wales were once again, typically stylish for the event this year as they made their arrival.
Trooping the Colour is a centuries-old tradition that marks the Sovereign's official birthday.
It dates back to the 17th century and is rooted in battlefield custom, when regimental flags, or 'colours,' were trooped in front of soldiers to ensure they could be recognised amid the smoke of combat.
What is Trooping the Colour?
The Trooping of the Colour has marked the official birthday of the British Sovereign for more than 260 years.
Over 1400 parading soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians come together each June in a great display of military precision, horsemanship and fanfare to mark the Sovereign's official birthday.
The streets are lined with crowds waving flags as the parade moves from Buckingham Palace and down The Mall to Horse Guard's Parade, alongside Members of the Royal Family on horseback and in carriages.
The display closes with an RAF fly-past, watched by Members of the Royal Family from Buckingham Palace balcony.
Once the Sovereign has arrived at Horse Guard's Parade in Whitehall, they are greeted by a Royal salute and carry out an inspection of the troops, who are fully trained and operational soldiers wearing the ceremonial uniform of red tunics and bearskin hats.
After the military bands have performed, the escorted Regimental Colour, or flag, is processed down the ranks of soldiers. Over one hundred words of command are used by the Officer in Command of the Parade to direct the several hundred soldiers.
Once the Foot Guards have marched past the Sovereign, they ride back to Buckingham Palace at the head of the soldiers, before taking the salute again at the Palace from a dais.
The Sovereign is then joined by other Members of the Royal Family on the balcony at Buckingham Palace to watch a fly-past by the Royal Air Force. A 41-gun salute is also fired in Green Park to mark the occasion.
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