FAMILY & FORMALITY

The royals set the tone at major events, from a stylish outing at Trooping the Colour to a sombre Remembrance Sunday

- REPORT: CATHERINE OLIVE

THE COMMONWEALTH DAY SERVICE OF CELEBRATION

The uplifting annual ceremony to celebrate Britain’s “family of nations” was particularly special for royal fans around the world this year because the King and the Princess of Wales returned to the fold.

Both had been absent in 2024 while being treated for cancer, but this March, they were back in Westminster Abbey - and the event’s theme, Together We Thrive, could not have been more fitting.

There were warm greetings between the King and Queen, the Waleses and the Princess Royal before they joined the lively congregation, where Kate’s vibrant red outfit stood out even among the many young people dressed in the national costumes of their countries.

TROOPING THE COLOUR

Dazzling sunshine lit the balcony of Buckingham Palace when four generations of the King’s family gathered there on 14 June to celebrate his official birthday.

The Waleses stood alongside the King, with his heir the Prince of Wales and second-in-line Prince George next to the monarch. And if it was a tableau of the dynasty, it was also a picture of family happiness, with Charles and Kate looking well and happy, surrounded by loved ones.

Earlier, in the royal calendar’s greatest display of pomp and pageantry, more than 1,000 soldiers, 200 horses and 300 musicians had taken part in the military parade. The King no longer rides with his regiments, but William and Princess Anne, in full ceremonial uniform, were among the mounted officers. They were accompanied by the King and Queen and the rest of the Waleses in horse-drawn Ascot Landau carriages.