Photos show the younger royals stealing the show at Trooping the Colour over the years

• Trooping the Colour honors the monarch each year. 
• But the younger generation of royals often steal the show with their antics at Buckingham Palace.
• In 1988, Prince Harry stuck his tongue out, and Prince Louis has made a splash in recent years.

The royal family gathered at Buckingham Palace for Trooping the Colour on Saturday.

Trooping the Colour is the British sovereign's official birthday celebration, and the 2024 event was King Charles III's second as monarch. It also marked Kate Middleton's first royal engagement of the year, as she used the occasion to return to the public eye after her months-long absence.

The parade offers one of the few times the whole royal family gathers in public together throughout the year, so the event is always heavily photographed.

For decades, royal children have been pictured greeting the public from the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping the Colour, and they're often documented in candid moments of joy and silliness as their powerful parents look on in both exasperation and laughter.  

From Prince William to Prince Louis, take a look at times royal children have stolen the show at Trooping the Colour.

At the 1984 Trooping the Colour, a blond Prince William distracted his cousins on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

In 1985, young Prince William again distracted his cousins by pointing during the parade.

Prince Harry sweetly mimicked his older brother at the 1987 Trooping the Colour.

Prince Harry was photographed sticking his tongue out at cameras while Princess Diana held him at the 1988 parade.

At the same parade, Prince William caused a stir by covering his face in apparent exasperation.

At the 1989 Trooping the Colour, Prince Harry and Prince William waved in a silly manner as they honored their grandmother.

Prince William and Prince Harry were playful with their cousins on a carriage at the 1990 Trooping the Colour.

Harry was photographed sweetly looking down at the crowds in front of Buckingham Palace at the same celebration.

Although they were a bit older, Prince William and Prince Harry still managed to cause a bit of a distraction at the 2003 Trooping the Colour by pointing and staring at the crowds.

At his first Trooping the Colour in 2015, Prince George stole the show before he even walked out onto the balcony by waving at crowds from a window.

When he did reach the balcony, photographers captured the young prince pointing at the crowds as his father and uncle did years before him.

In 2016, Princess Charlotte adorably waved at the crowds assembled for the Queen.

Both Charlotte and George appeared to get tired later the same day.

The pair both appeared stressed out by the planes flying over the palace in 2017.

Savannah Phillips playfully covered George's mouth during the 2019 Trooping the Colour while William looked on.

But later, Savannah, Charlotte, and George all grinned and clapped as they watched the parade.

In 2019, George, Charlotte, and Prince Louis all looked cutely overwhelmed by the planes flying above them.

At the same event, George looked at the sky unhappily while Charlotte covered her ears.

At the 2022 Trooping the Colour, George, Charlotte, and Louis made funny faces as they looked down at the crowds in front of the palace from a window.

The siblings were then seen sweetly interacting with their great-grandmother during the event.

But Louis really became the star of the day when he dramatically reacted to the planes flying overhead by screaming and covering his ears.

The young prince's face even turned red from the force of his yell.

Louis was photographed covering his ears again at the 2023 Trooping the Colour, though he didn't look quite as unhappy as in 2022.

Both George and Louis made silly faces as they watched the fanfare in matching blazers and ties.

Meanwhile, Charlotte shared a sweet moment with William, holding his hands over her shoulders as they stood together on the balcony.

And Louis stole the show again by pretending he was flying the overhead planes, miming revving an engine.

George, Charlotte, and Louis' attendance at the 2024 Trooping the Colour marked their first public appearance of the year.

All three children turned their heads to the sky as planes flew overhead, delighting in the fanfare.

Louis was particularly excited, gasping as he took in the sights from the balcony.

One of the day's sweetest moments came when Louis and Charlotte mimicked their parents. Louis and Kate bore identical expressions at the same time as William and Charlotte.