The Buckingham Palace balcony is where the royals show their best face to the world,
but it’s also a stage for comedy and drama.
From childish antics to bitter feuds, these are the balcony blunders that will make you cringe.
Traditionally, most of the royal family gathers on the balcony for important events.
But Prince Harry was absent when King Charles III and Queen Camilla were crowned in 2023.
Harry and his wife Meghan Markle famously left their royal duties to live in Los Angeles
with their two children, but Harry did make a solo trip over to the UK for his father's coronation.
However, while the rest of his family stood and waved on the iconic balcony, Harry was elsewhere.
Royal correspondent Sharon Carpenter told E! News,
"Harry has written a whole book about how he felt that he was playing second fiddle
to his brother, the entirety of his life.
So, I think this was Charles' opportunity to really show Harry, 'You are just as important
as Prince William when it comes to family.'"
According to the Mirror, Harry was excluded because — you guessed it — he's no longer
a "working royal."
In fact, royal commentator Ingrid Seward noted that this might be why Meghan skipped the
event altogether.
Seward told the outlet,
"For a girl who makes a huge fuss about which table she has in a restaurant, it would be
a terrible insult not to have one of the top seats at the coronation ceremony.
To add to this possibility, the disgrace being excluded from the Buckingham Palace balcony
line-up was more than she could bear."
"I never thought that this would be easy, but I thought it would be fair, and that's
the part that's really hard to reconcile."
Prince Harry's marked absence wasn't the only awkward part of the 2023 coronation balcony
photo call.
Prince Louis, Kate Middleton and Prince William’s youngest child, added to the embarrassment
when he got overexcited during the Red Arrows flypast.
Media coverage shows the young boy pulling faces, making silly gestures, and distracting
the other royals.
He also did a silly dance and waved to the crowd as his mother gently tried to calm him down.
Most fans enjoyed the young prince’s antics, but some of the royals on the balcony might
have cringed.
One MP even tweeted about what he saw as, quote, "the quite repellent antics of Prince Louis."
However, a fan was quick to reply,
"He is a 5 year old boy, was well behaved and sat for hours in the church.
If you actually watch the footage [of the] balcony, you would [have] seen he was just
excited by all of the activity."
Another cringeworthy coronation balcony moment centers on the newly crowned Queen Camilla.
Body language expert Judi James told the Daily Record that Camilla grew impatient with the
family’s disorganization on the balcony, so she decided to take matters into her own hands.
James said,
"Seeing Camilla begin to take charge now she is Queen, organizing the balcony choreography
[...] might show a new era of a much more confident Queen Camilla who might match her
husband's desire for perfection.
She also seemed to be gently urging Charles to go inside after the first appearance."
This balcony appearance revealed Camilla’s bossy side — and although it may have been
awkward to see her impatience, it’s clear she’s ready to take charge now that she's
wearing the crown.
While Queen Camilla showed impatience, King Charles seemed anxious during their big coronation
balcony appearance.
Express reported that Charles looked wary of the balcony edge.
A lip reader said the new king told his wife he "mustn’t get too close" to the edge "or
[he] might frighten [himself]."
He also warned her to "be careful."
However, while Charles felt anxious about heights, he didn’t need to worry about the
public’s reception.
Judi James said his anxiety faded once he saw the crowds below.
She told the Daily Record,
"This balcony appearance showed Charles genuinely look surprised and humbled by the roar of
affection from the crowds.
It was the moment the anxiety lifted from his features and a more relaxed smile take
its place."
As royal fans may recall, the 2023 coronation wasn’t Prince Louis’ first scene-stealing
balcony scene.
In 2022, during Queen Elizabeth II's Jubilee celebrations, Louis again seemed to misbehave
during the Trooping the Colour parade.
He made funny faces, covered his ears, and looked bored, while his mother, Kate Middleton,
tried to soothe him.
Body language expert Blanca Cobb told The List that Kate probably didn’t mind Louis’
behavior, saying,
"I don't think that Kate Middleton was secretly cross with Prince Louis for misbehaving on
the balcony.
I think that Kate was trying to settle down Prince Louis in a loving, compassionate, and
understanding way."
However, Cobb added, one royal did look annoyed by his behavior: his older sister, Charlotte.
Cobb explained,
"Charlotte has her head down, eyes closed and forehead tension.
Most prominently, the muscle between her eyebrows is contracted, which indicates stress.
Their mother, on the other hand, finds Louis' outburst a bit amusing."
Charlotte is clearly all-too-familiar with her brother's big personality.
Though she reportedly has a big personality herself in private, Charlotte can reportedly
be shy in public.
Considering how overwhelming the crowds at royal events can be, the eight-year-old manages
to act remarkably poised.
"Hello David Attenborough!
I like spiders.
Do you like spiders too?"
The royal balcony has a hierarchy.
The queen or king stands front and center, with their closest family members nearby.
The distant cousins stand on the edges and at the back.
However, in 2019, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, despite their prominence in the family,
stood at the back of the line-up for the Trooping the Colour.
Body language expert Judi James told the Mirror then that the positioning might relate to
the media rumors about Meghan’s feud with Kate Middleton.
She noted that both Harry looked unhappy and uncomfortable during the event, while Meghan
seemed isolated from the rest of the family.
Given that Meghan and Harry later revealed how unwelcome they felt, this balcony appearance
looks extra-awkward in hindsight.
"What people need to understand is as far as a lot of the family were concerned, everything
that she was being put through, they'd been put through as well."
The 2023 coronation wasn't the first time Prince Harry missed a Buckingham Palace photo op.
In 2022, he and his wife Meghan Markle also missed out on the Trooping the Colour ceremony
during the Jubilee celebrations.
As an official statement read at the time,
"After careful consideration, the Queen has decided this year's traditional Trooping the
Colour balcony appearance [...] will be limited to Her Majesty and those members of the royal
family who are currently undertaking official public duties on behalf of the Queen."
In other words, Harry and Meghan were not invited.
Some fans were surprised.
One tweeted,
"Why wouldn't Harry and Meghan be on the balcony for the Platinum Jubilee?
Harry is, and always will be, still the Queen's grandson."
However, it turns out that the couple was reportedly totally okay with missing the formal
balcony moment, according to royal author and biographer Omid Scobie.
One of the most awkward royal balcony moments occurred in 2006.
We don’t know exactly what happened, but most experts and fans agree it went like this:
while the family gathered to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 80th birthday, her husband,
Prince Philip, seemed to fart.
That's right.
"Boom!"
Media coverage from the day shows Princess Anne and Prince Charles looking at Philip
as he smiles sheepishly.
Prince Harry, behind Philip, covers his nose and turns away laughing.
Elizabeth grimaces and averts her eyes.
The scene certainly suggests Philip broke wind.
Royal watchers, naturally, discussed the moment online.
One wrote on Reddit,
"He is 70 and we all know at that age they just let it rip."
Another fan wrote on Flickr,
"Of course, fun loving Prince Harry just can’t control himself!"
The Mirror reported that the moment looked suspicious, but that Philip shouldn't be ashamed
of his, quote, "trumpet involuntary."
Another Trooping of the Colour, another chance for the royal children to create a scene on
the Buckingham Palace balcony.
In 2018, the two troublemakers were Savannah Phillips, Princess Anne’s granddaughter,
and Prince George, the oldest child of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
During the ceremony, the two cousins were clearly having fun.
At one point, Savannah put her hand over George’s mouth while he sang the national anthem, a
cheeky look on her face as she faced the cameras.
After the antics, the parents discreetly separated the two children to maintain order.
Of course, fans loved watching the two kids.
One tweeted,
"Favorite moment of the day.
Hope this pic is saved for his coronation day."
Another wrote,
"There we were all thinking what a shy little boy Prince George is and you see him there
on the balcony being very mischievous."
Another praised Savannah's comedic timing, writing,
"How did she manage this so impeccably, without looking away from [the] camera?
My idol."
When Kate Middleton and Prince William married in 2011, another little girl drew attention
with her amusing expressions on the balcony. Grace van Cutsem, Queen Camilla’s granddaughter
and Kate’s bridesmaid at age 3, scowled and covered her ears as the crowds cheered below.
Clearly, she wasn't impressed by all the noise.
Grace’s photos became viral, with NPR calling a photo of her covering her ears as the couple
kissed behind her the "best photo from the royal wedding."
The Associated Press reported that Grace didn't feel well, which is likely why she seemed
so unhappy on the balcony.
The royal couple might have felt embarrassed to have their big moment upstaged by Grace,
but most fans enjoyed the humorous photos.
One tweeted,
"Check out the little bridesmaid just [in front] of Kate & William.
Bless her."
Another royal watcher posted,
"Kate's tiny bridesmaid on the balcony with her hands over her ears ...that's an image
that's gonna run and run."
"Prince George on the balcony there, with his father, the Duke of Cambridge."
Prince William seemed to get in trouble at the 2016 Trooping of the Color display when
the Queen noticed him crouching down to talk with his son, Prince George.
Footage shows Queen Elizabeth signaling that he should stand up, including a tap on the shoulder.
The Mirror reported that she even said, "Stand up, William."
William stood up with an embarrassed look.
He was clearly acting too casually for the queen on this occasion.
The moment was awkward for William, but for royal fans, it was another amusing balcony moment.
One fan commented on YouTube,
"Proof that you're never [too] old to [be] corrected by grandma."
Another wrote,
"Even Harry straightened his face and she wasn't even looking at him."