Princess Elizabeth appeared on Buckingham Palace’s balcony with her family as a 9-year-old girl to commemorate her grandpa George V’s Silver Jubilee, an ecstatic grin on her face as she stared at the spectators below.
The former princess, now Queen Elizabeth II, is due to take to the same balcony this week to grin and wave to millions commemorating her 70 years on the throne, more than a century later.
Almost all royal celebrations in the United Kingdom revolve around the balcony appearance, which allows the public to catch a peek of the royal family gathered for a spectacular portrait to commemorate weddings, coronations, and jubilees. Every June, the extended royal family dons their finest uniforms, caps, and gowns to commemorate the queen’s birthday, which is marked by an elaborate military procession known as Trooping the Color, followed by a balcony moment when the Royal Air Force flies over.
Through the decades, balcony photos document the changing faces of the monarchy and provide snapshots of many significant events in Elizabeth’s life. The princess wore her military uniform and stood with Winston Churchill to commemorate the end of World War II in 1945 when she was a young woman.
She wore the Imperial State Crown and imperial robes to greet a sea of jubilant citizens at her coronation eight years later.
For those who will be absent on Thursday, the family’s Platinum Jubilee balcony appearance will be significant. According to palace officials, the queen has decided, “after great consideration,” those only working members of the royal family and their children will congregate on the balcony.
That means Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who retired from frontline royal duties in 2020 and relocated to California, as well as their young children, will be barred. Prince Andrew, whose reputation has been tarnished by a sex scandal and his ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, will follow suit.
“I think the decision to only have current working members of the royal family on the balcony was a really wise one,” Emily Nash, royal editor at HELLO! Magazine stated.
“People are watching the family dynamic to see if there are any difficulties, and if we see Prince Andrew on the balcony, I believe there will be a great outcry.” As a result, it solves all of those problems in one fell swoop,” Nash explained. “However, the palace has made it clear that Harry and Meghan are still adored members of the family and will be present.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have announced that they will fly to the United Kingdom with their two young children and that they are looking forward to taking part in the long weekend of festivities. The trip will be the family’s first to Harry’s homeland, and any appearances at Jubilee festivities, including a service at St. Paul’s Cathedral and a probable second balcony gathering on Sunday, will be highly scrutinized.
Meanwhile, Andrew will be kept out of the spotlight following a multimillion-pound deal with a woman who accused him of sexual assault when she was 17 years old in a US lawsuit. In January, the queen’s second son had his honorary military titles taken away amid the scandal.
According to some royal observers, Prince Charles’ aim to shrink down the monarchy is reflected in the restricted balcony lineup on Thursday.
As a result of the decision, the queen will be flanked on the balcony on Thursday by her 73-year-old heir, Charles, and his wife Camilla; Prince William, the second in line to the throne, and his wife Kate and their three children; and Charles’ siblings, Princess Anne and Prince Edward, and their spouses.
The queen’s cousin, the Duke of Gloucester, and his wife, as well as the Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra, will join the group of less well-known working royals.
While some previous balcony events featured a huge number of royals, including the queen’s distant cousins, the Diamond Jubilee celebration in 2012 featured only five close family members: Charles, Camilla, William, Kate, and Harry.
“It was making a statement,” said Robert Hardman, the monarch’s biographer and author of “Queen of Our Times: The Life of Elizabeth II.”
“It’s not a case of Andrew, Harry, or Meghan being excluded from the balcony this week,” Hardman clarified. “They’ve stepped down from royal duties and are no longer part of the operative unit.” That’s all there is to it.”
Queen Victoria, who transformed Buckingham Palace into the monarch’s official house and a royal family home in the 19th century, started the tradition of a balcony appearance. During the opening ceremonies of the 1851 Great Exhibition, Victoria made her first royal balcony appearance.
According to Ed Owens, a royal historian, and author of “The Family Firm: Monarchy, Mass Media, and the British Public 1932-1953,” it’s a symbolic moment of the crown and people coming together.
Owens explained, “It was promoted as this time where the public started to look up to the royals.”
It’s a formal event, but rambunctious royal youngsters frequently steal the show. When Harry was three years old and still in his mother Diana’s arms, he made an impression by sticking his tongue out at photographers.
The queen, who is having difficulty moving around and has recently missed many major public engagements, is expected to be there for Thursday’s balcony moment and at least one or two of the activities planned for the four-day Platinum Jubilee weekend, according to royal observers. However, there are no guarantees.
“We can’t take anything for granted at this point,” Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine, said. “At 96, you have good days and bad days.” “The palace is taking things one step at a time.”
