With Prince William on horseback, Princess Kate was left to look after George, Louis and Charlotte and she they were booed by Republic during their Trooping the Colour appearance
The Princess of Wales is seen staring at anti-monarchists as they howl their disapproval at the royal family during the Trooping the Colour parade in a video clip shared on social media.
The historic event didn’t pass off totally without incident as members of pressure group Republic made plenty of noise on The Mall with their recognisable yellow signs calling for the abolition of the monarchy.
They saved some of loudest demonstrations for King Charles and Queen Camilla, who led the carriage procession to Horse Guards parade, while Princess Kate and her three children followed closely behind. Prince William, Prince Edward and Princess Anne were all observing tradition and taking part in the parade on horseback.
Kate looked totally unimpressed by the jeers, after chants of ‘Not My King’ were directed towards the sovereign. Protesters also sang anti-royal songs before opening umbrellas that spelled out the words ‘Stop The Reign’.
She was seen briefly staring at the campaigners, who had waited since early morning for a prime position on The Mall. A smile soon returned to her face as she spoke to her children in the carriage.
The group have made themselves known at dozens of royal events over the years, including the Commonwealth Day service in March, and Charles’ coronation.
Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond believes that while the protesters are no doubt distracting from the royals’ duties, there is very little the Firm can do other than proceed business as usual.
Jennie told the Mirror : “There’s no denying that the Republican movement is making more of a splash – and more of a noise – these days. It’s obviously an embarrassment for the Royal Family and, for the first time, I think the movement is beginning to do some damage to the monarchy’s popularity. But the royals really have no choice but to ignore the shouting and carry on.”
Jennie explained that the royals are no strangers to protesters, dodging anti-monarchy sentiments at many events over the years, but have learned to drown out the noise and focus on the royal fans who show up for them instead.
“So I think they’re quite right simply to carry on with their engagements, interact with the many people who are only too delighted to see them and try to blank out the sound of the protesters.”
The Prince and Princess of Wales shared a series of photos from the Trooping the Colour highlights. Taking to the Kensington Royal Instagram account, William and Kate posted two videos and a series of images from the day.
In the caption of their photos, the future king and queen wrote: “A great day at Trooping the Colour for His Majesty’s Birthday Parade. From the Grenedier Guards trooping their colour to seeing so many faces on the Mall, thank you for making it a day to remember.”
William’s brother Prince Harry wasn’t in London, but he did share a message at almost the exact same time the Royal Family stepped out for the Trooping the Colour event.
Harry spoke about the Invictus Games earlier this afternoon with a video during the ceremony in Dusseldorf.
He spoke about the importance of the annual international event that sees wounded, injured and sick military service members competing for glory.
“Thank you for your service,” he said, via the Invictus Germany’s Instagram Stories. “Have a fantastic time in Dusseldorf – lean on those when you need to and celebrate everything you have achieved, and most importantly, have fun.”