Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis Are Buckingham Palace Balcony Pros at Trooping the Colour

Prince William and Princess Kate’s children got a great view for the finale of Trooping the Colour

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are back on the Buckingham Palace balcony!

Prince William and Kate Middleton’s three children joined members of the British royal family for the appearance, serving as the grand finale of Trooping the Colour on Saturday, June 13.

George, 12, Charlotte, 11, and Louis, 8, waved to onlookers gathered below and watched as the Royal Air Force’s Red Arrows performed a flypast overhead.

At one point, Prince Louis veered off from his family, seemingly to get a better look at the approaching planes. He was seen leaning to one side with his mouth open in awe.

The royals, including the Prince and Princess of Wales’ three children, then stood at attention as the national anthem played before following King Charles back inside the palace.

Trooping the Colour marks the public celebration of King Charles’ birthday, although the monarch’s actual birthday is in November (the reason for the summer celebration is simple and practical: a chance for better weather).

The Prince and Princess of Wales’ three children are now experienced pros when it comes to appearances on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

Prince George made his balcony debut over a decade ago at his first Trooping the Colour in 2015. Weeks ahead of his second birthday, George was held by his father as he showed off his royal wave and pointed at the planes going by.

Princess Charlotte joined the family for Trooping the Colour the following year. Then, it was Prince Louis’ turn to steal the show in 2019, enthusiastically waving as he was held by both Prince William and Princess Kate for his first balcony appearance.

They’ve continued to delight onlookers in the years since, with sweet moments like Princess Charlotte displaying her knack for royal protocol (and showing her little brother the ropes!) and Prince Louis dramatically covering his ears during the noisy parts, to the amusement of Queen Elizabeth.

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis joined the royals for their annual Easter church outing in April, making Trooping the Colour their second major appearance of the year.

The event also comes ahead of a big change for Prince George, who will start at a new school in the fall. An official announcement of where he’ll attend has not been revealed yet, but Eton College (where Prince William attended) and Marlborough College (Princess Kate’s alma mater) are widely considered to be the most likely options. While Eton is an all-boys school, Marlborough’s co-educational environment would allow both Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis to attend alongside their older brother someday.

The Prince and Princess of Wales are slowly introducing their children to royal life, with a palace insider previously telling PEOPLE about the cautious approach, especially when it comes to Prince George, who is destined to be king someday.

“It’s a massive balancing act,” the source explained. “William and Kate are doing the right thing, protecting him so he can have as normal a childhood as possible, but he’s also dipping into duties as a future monarch. He’s getting firsthand experience of what it’s like to be a royal and a monarch and firsthand experience of being a normal boy.”
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