Sussexes will watch Trooping from window on public return

THE Duke and Duchess of Sussex will make their public return to Britain today at Trooping the Colour, which they will watch from a window as nonworking members of the Royal family.

The Sussexes and their two children were invited to view the Queen’s Birthday Parade this morning, joining the Queen’s grandchildren and greatgrandchildren to view the spectacle from the Major General’s office overlooking Horse Guards Parade.

Senior and working members of the Royal family will travel in carriages in the traditional fashion, with the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge and the Princess Royal on horseback.

The Duchess of Cornwall and Duchess of Cambridge will be among those making the journey from Buckingham Palace by carriage. Last night, Kensington Palace would not confirm whether the three Cambridge children would be travelling with their mother.

A spokesman for the Sussexes said the Duke and Duchess “look forward” to watching the event. The attendance of Archie and Lilibet Mountbattenwindsor has not been confirmed and was last night said to be unlikely, although a final decision will be made on the day. The Queen herself will remain at Buckingham Palace for the duration of the event and will take a salute from the balcony at the end.

It will be the first time the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be reunited together with the wider Royal family since they left Britain in 2020 for a new life in California. Their daughter, Lilibet, is making her first visit to her father’s homeland, while her brother, Archie, will be introduced to the youngest members of his extended family for the first time.

In common with the Queen’s grandchildren who do not perform official duties for Her Majesty, they will not be included in the carriage procession.

The Prince of Wales will take the salute at Horse Guards Parade and inspect the troops of the Household Division on behalf of the Queen, joined by the Duke of Cambridge and the Princess Royal.

In other carriages will be the Earl and Countess of Wessex and their two children, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.

At the end of the procession, the royal party will climb the stairs to the Major General’s office, also known as Wellington’s office, to watch the full spectacle.

There, they will be joined by all of the Queen’s other grandchildren – Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice – and their spouses, along with any of their children who may attend.

Also present will be the Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, the Earl of Snowdon and his family, and Lady Sarah Chatto and her family. The Duke of York will not attend.

The attendance of the royal children will not be confirmed until the morning, to allow for last-minute changes to their schedule through illness or nerves.

Seasoned royal watchers will nevertheless hope for a full house, with the Queen’s great-grandchildren usually attending Trooping with enthusiasm.

If they did attend, the event would give Archie and Lilibet Mountbattenwindsor their first glimpse of the pomp and pageantry their father grew up with. Their second cousins, Mia, Lena and Lucas Tindall, Isla and Savannah Phillips, August Brooksbank and Sienna Mapelli-mozzi, are all expected to be there to watch the horses and riders of the Household Division.

The Major General’s office will afford them a measure of privacy, allowing them to step forward to the large open windows to watch the spectacle below, or retreat inside, out of the public eye.

The babies and toddlers of the family can appear for short stretches in their parents’ arms.

At the end of the event, key working members of the family will follow the Queen’s instruction to return to Buckingham Palace balcony for a grand finale, watching a flypast and waving to crowds. The Queen is expected to stay at the Palace for lunch with members of her family, before being driven back to Windsor Castle for the night.

Tomorrow, adult members of the Royal Family will attend a service of thanksgiving for the Queen’s reign at St Paul’s Cathedral. It will mark the first time the Dukes of Cambridge and Sussex are seen in public together since they unveiled a statue of their late mother last July.

The Duchesses of Cambridge and Sussex have not been photographed together since an Oprah interview, in which Meghan told the watching world that Kate made her cry.

A spokesman for the Sussexes said the Duke and Duchess ‘look forward’ to watching the event