The Queen—and a Very Animated Prince Louis—Take to the Buckingham Palace Balcony for 70-Aircraft Flypast

The working members of the royal family joined Queen Elizabeth this morning on the Buckingham Palace balcony to take in an impressive flypast, featuring 70 aircraft marking Her Majesty’s 70 years on the throne.

At one point, the flypast took the shape of “70,” honoring the Queen’s reign—the longest in British history. Towards the end of the flypast, U.K.’s colors of red, white, and blue tore through the sky as airplanes flew past to roaring crowds below.

In addition to being her landmark Platinum Jubilee, this is the first time since 2019 that Her Majesty has carried out Trooping the Colour at Buckingham Palace. In 2020 and 2021, Trooping the Colour—the military parade that marks the monarch’s official birthday—took place at Windsor Castle, where the Queen stayed in lockdown (and now resides permanently).

Blue was the color theme of the morning, with the Queen in a pale blue coatdress, hat, and gloves by Her Majesty’s personal dressmaker and friend Angela Kelly. Standing to the left of the Queen was, adorably, Prince Louis, who was never expressionless, either waving, covering his ears, or taking it all in. He was sporting a mini-sailor suit previously worn by his father, Prince William, in 1985—37 years ago!

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall Kate Middleton

Louis’ mother Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, stood behind him in a rewear of her own—a white dress by a label that has long been a favorite of the duchess, Alexander McQueen, and a white and blue hat by Philip Treacy. Per PEOPLE, she also wore sapphire and diamond earrings that previously belonged to her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana.

Princess Charlotte wore blue as well, and Prince George’s blue suit and tie continued the color theme. Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, also wore a rewear today, opting for a blue striped dress by Bruce Oldfield and a hat by Philip Treacy. Prince Charles, Prince William, and Princess Anne were all in uniform, as the three had just participated in the Trooping the Colour parade shortly before. Her Majesty typically takes the salute during the parade, but this year, her son and heir Charles undertook the duty, alongside William and Anne.

Other working members of the royal family rounded out the balcony this morning, like the Wessexes—the Queen’s youngest son, Prince Edward, his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and their children, Lady Louise and James, Viscount Severn.

Later today, we will see the lighting of Platinum Jubilee beacons, before tomorrow morning’s Service of Thanksgiving for the Queen at St. Paul’s Cathedral. Saturday will bring about the Derby at Epsom Downs and the “Platinum Party at the Palace” live concert, and the busy weekend will conclude Sunday with the Big Jubilee Lunch at the Platinum Jubilee Pageant.

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.