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Princess Kate at parade after health update

Princess Kate makes first official appearance in months 01:52

Britain put on a display of birthday pageantry Saturday for King Charles III with a military parade that also marked the Princess of Wales' first public appearance since her cancer diagnosis early this year.

The annual event was also a show of stability by the monarchy after months in which both the king and Kate, wife of the heir to the throne Prince William, have been sidelined by cancer treatment.

The 42-year-old princess traveled in a horse-drawn carriage from Buckingham Palace down the grand avenue known as the Mall with her children George, 10, Charlotte, 9, and 6-year-old Louis. Bystanders cheered as they caught a glimpse of Kate, dressed in a white dress by designer Jenny Packham and a wide-brimmed Philip Treacy hat.

Trooping The Colour 2024
Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince Louis of Wales during Trooping the Colour parade. Mike Marsland/WireImage via Getty

Huge crowds turn out each June to watch the parade, also known as Trooping the Colour, which begins with a procession involving horses, musicians and hundreds of soldiers in ceremonial uniform from Buckingham Palace.

Trooping The Colour 2024
Soldiers on parade during Trooping the Colour at Horse Guards Parade on June 15, 2024 in London, England. The event features over 1,400 soldiers and officers, accompanied by 200 horses. Getty Images

Prince William, in military dress uniform, rode on horseback for the ceremony, in which troops in ceremonial finery parade past the king with their regimental flag, or "colour."

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Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Anne the Princess Royal during Trooping the Colour on June 15, 2024 in London, England. Mike Marsland/WireImage

Charles, who also is being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer, traveled in a carriage with Queen Camilla, rather than on horseback as he did last year.

Princess of Wales Kate Middleton appears in public for the first time in months
King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla during the 'Trooping the Colour' parade in London, United Kingdom. Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu via Getty Images

The king inspected the troops from a dais on the parade ground, saluting as elite regiments of Foot Guards marched past.

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King Charles III during Trooping the Colour at Horse Guards Parade on June 15, 2024 in London, England. More than 400 musicians from ten different bands and Corps of Drums march and perform in perfect harmony. Getty Images

Five regiments take turns to parade their colour, and this year it was the turn of a company of the Irish Guards, which has Kate as its honorary colonel. The troops, dressed in scarlet tunics and bearskin hats, were led onto the parade ground by their mascot, an Irish wolfhound named Seamus.

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King's Guards during Trooping the Colour at Horse Guards Parade on June 15, 2024 in London, England. Trooping the Colour is a ceremonial parade celebrating the official birthday of the British Monarch.  Getty Images

After the parade, members of the family went to a Buckingham Palace balcony to watch a fly-by of military aircraft — and delight the crowds below. 

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Prince George, Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte, Catherine, Princess of Wales, King Charles III and Queen Camilla during Trooping the Colour at Buckingham Palace on June 15, 2024 in London, England. Chris Jackson / Getty Images
cinch Championships - Previews
The red arrows fly over the Queens Club as part of the Trooping the Colour prior to the cinch Championships at The Queen's Club on June 15, 2024 in London, England.  Luke Walker/Getty Images for LTA

In one of the many quirks of British royal convention, Saturday is not the king's real birthday — that's in November. Like his mother Queen Elizabeth II before him, Charles has an official birthday on the second Saturday in June. The date was chosen because the weather is generally good, though early sunshine on Saturday gave way to a blustery, rainy day in London.