Trooping the Colour continues without Prince Harry’s children
As King Charles and senior members of the royal family gathered for Trooping the Colour on Saturday, June 13, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet were once again absent from the annual celebration. The military parade takes place each summer in London to mark the monarch’s official birthday. Meanwhile, 2026 was the fourth Trooping the Colour since King Charles ascended the throne, following Queen Elizabeth’s death in 2022. Prince William, Princess Kate Middleton, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis took part in the festivities. However, Archie and Lilibet have never had a royal celebration.
Timing and royal changes shaped their absence
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle appeared together at Trooping the Colour in 2018 and 2019, but Archie, who was born shortly before the 2019 parade, was too young to participate. The COVID-19 pandemic led to scaled-back events in 2020 and 2021. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex returned in 2022 during Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, but they watched separately from the working members of the royal family. The Sussexes did not join the Buckingham Palace balcony appearance as they were no longer senior working royals. After stepping back from royal duties and relocating to California in 2020, the couple and their children were no longer included in the event.
Security concerns remain a major factor
Princess Lilibet was born in 2021 after the family’s move to the United States, so she has never attended the King’s birthday celebration. Since then, both Archie and Lilibet have not been invited to Trooping the Colour.
“I can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the U.K. at this point. I can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the U.K. at this point,” he told the BBC.
Following the loss of his appeal over automatic police protection in the United Kingdom, Prince Harry told the BBC that he could not imagine bringing his wife and children back to the country under the current circumstances. He expressed sadness that his children may miss the opportunity to experience parts of their British heritage. Although Harry has returned to the United Kingdom several times since 2020, his relationship with the royal family appears to remain strained and tense. In addition, the ongoing security concerns continue to shape the decision to keep his distance.
