In any other year, the major story of the Trooping the Colour would be how grim and unseasonal the wet, cloudy weather was this June. How the cold and rain potentially rendered the pageantry and pomp of this historic affair somewhat anticlimactic – not that the countless spectators, in person and watching on television, cared. This time round, though, the event itself has been overshadowed by the presence of two of the members of the Royal Family: the King and, in particular, the Princess of Wales, who made her first public appearance since her cancer diagnosis earlier this year.
As the princess revealed in her measured, careful announcement last night, she has made good enough progress for her doctors to be happy for her to appear at Trooping the Colour. She is still in the middle of treatment for her illness. It was unsurprising that the first pictures of her travelling with her family showed a drawn, exhausted-looking woman, rather than the radiant figure of previous years. There had been no pressure on her to attend the event, as received wisdom has been that she can only return to public events such as this when she is having what she called ‘good days’ rather than bad ones. Yet her dedication to duty is such that her appearance today – something that will have given succour and comfort to many – would have been keenly monitored and discussed before approval was given.
Even the most committed republican would find it hard to repress a sigh of relief at their presence in public life
When she made her first formal appearance in a state carriage with her children, she looked on considerably better form. She turned out to support the Irish Guards – her own regiment, which she serves as honorary colonel. The crowd’s happiness at seeing her, travelling, like the rest of the royals, in covered carriages, owing to the grim weather, was deep and sincere. Whatever your views on the royal family, it was an undeniably heartening and stirring sight to see her return to public prominence, albeit relatively briefly. It is impossible to know when there will be another appearance of this kind, but her presence today was cheering.
The event, of course, is designed as an official birthday parade for the King, who was said to be ‘delighted’ by his daughter-in-law’s return to the spotlight. He was on display in the Scottish state coach, suitably covered from the elements, and, understandably, looking wan and tired himself. Not only has he been at the forefront of the recent D-Day ceremonies, but his own treatment for cancer has been continuing in between his public commitments.
There was never any question he would not be attending the event, but it is hard not to wonder whether the monarch’s dedication to duty – something that he inherited from his mother – might be tempered with a much-needed rest. Hopefully he will be able to have such a break over the summer. The necessities of the job are exhausting, and he is to be commended for being front and centre of the day, despite the strain it inevitably causes. When the rain pelted down, and he stood giving the salute to his troops during it outside Buckingham Palace, it was a tacit reminder to our beleaguered PM that this is how you cope with inclement weather with regal dignity.
By the time that the royal family assembled on the palace balcony for the fly past – including the Prince of Wales, a low-key presence today – it was a hugely symbolic moment of unity, as is traditional. Even the clouds finally cleared. But the fact that the King and Princess of Wales were stood together and on public display, for the first time in months, was a hugely popular moment. The thousands who thronged the Mall, clutching their umbrellas aloft, yelled their approval with enormous vigour.
There were countless people on display at today’s ceremony, engaging in tightly choreographed displays of musical and military prowess alike. Despite the inclement weather, the day’s activities should be regarded as a British success story, showing that we do pageantry of this kind peerlessly. Yet what most people – including me – will remember from the day is not the marching, drumbeats, aeronautical displays or the admittedly impressive spectacle of the Grenadier Guards, but the presence of a man in his mid-seventies, saluting countless soldiers filing past in the rain, and an elegant, slight 42-year old mother of three, immaculately dressed in a white Jenny Packham dress. Even the most committed republican would find it hard to repress a sigh of relief at their presence in public life.
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