A Peek into the Royal Family's Lighthearted Side: Behind-the-Scenes Footage from Trooping the Colour

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One of the most iconic events on the British social calendar, the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony, is a spectacle of traditional military pomp and pageantry on Horse Guards Parade.

In a recent video shared on the Prince and Princess of Wales' Instagram page, the royal family is seen laughing and joking with one another in behind-the-scenes footage from the event.

The video begins with Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, eight, walking into Buckingham Palace, followed by their mother, Catherine, the Princess of Wales.

Princess Charlotte briefly looks at the camera before dutifully following her brothers inside the Palace. The video then cuts to Prince William feeding a horse a carrot alongside King Charles.

The footage shows members of the parade practicing, and shots of the crowd waiting to see the royal family.

Thousands of spectators gathered at Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall to witness the spectacle featuring some of the nation's most prestigious regiments.

Trooping the Colour is as much a social occasion as a ceremonial event, with stands around Horse Guards Parade filled with about 8,000 family members of the guards and officers on parade.

A grand royal carriage procession began along The Mall, featuring the King, Queen, and the Princess of Wales, accompanied by her children, all under the watchful guard of a Sovereign's Escort from the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment.

Kate, who is Colonel of the Irish Guards, wore a blue outfit by Catherine Walker, paired with a hat by Philip Treacy and the Irish Guards brooch.

Among those riding in the formation were the royal colonels: the Prince of Wales, Colonel of the Welsh Guards; the Princess Royal, Colonel of the Blues and Royals; and the Duke of Edinburgh, Colonel of the Scots Guards.

Charles, colonel-in-chief of the Grenadier Guards, visited his King's Company at their barracks in Aldershot on the eve of Trooping and wished them 'great success' for the big day.

He told the company: 'Since Easter you've been practising rigidly, and I can hear from Buckingham Palace the sound of the drums thumping away regularly so I know you're all marching up and down trying to get ready for the parade.'

The King went on to say: '...ever since the last 370 years of your existence, you have made us all in this country so incredibly proud of your effort, your service, and your sacrifice over all those years, and I feel very proud and privileged to be here.'

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