It’s a busy month for the royal family. After celebrating Trooping the Colour this weekend, the royals all stepped out for Garter Day in Windsor today. Each year in June, the members of the Order of the Garter gather in Windsor to celebrate membership of the crown’s most noble order in existence since 1348. As the royal family notes, it is “one of the most traditional ceremonies in the royal calendar” at which, “the King and the Knights process in grand velvet robes, glistening insignia, and plumed hats.”
Most members of the royal family usually attend, and many senior working members of the royal family are Knights and Ladies of the Order—including Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester, who was inducted last year. The Order of the Garter also includes a few foreign heads of state, also known as “Stranger Knights and Ladies of the Garter.” Recent inductees include King Felipe VI of Spain, appointed in 2017, and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, appointed in 2018.
Kate Middleton, who is not a member of the Order, missed last year’s ceremony but was present this year, arriving with Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, who is also not a member. Both of their husbands, Prince William and Prince Edward, respectively, are members of the Order.
Here, see all the best photos of the royals who were in attendance, including King Charles, Queen Camilla, Princess Anne, and Prince William, among other members of the British royal family:
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The Band of the Household Cavalry plays ahead of the Order of the Garter service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.
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The Princess of Wales smiles at her first Garter Day in two years, making a fashionable return in Self-Portrait, one of her go-to brands. Read more here
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Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh waits with the Princess of Wales at St. George’s Chapel during the processional.
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King Charles and Queen Camilla led the procession into Windsor Castle.
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Prince William was inducted into the Order in 2008, and was the 1,000th Knight in the Register.
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Princess Anne is a Royal Knight of the Order, not a Royal Lady. The Princess Royal just marked a personal comeback at Trooping over the weekend, riding horseback in public for the first time since a major injury last year.
Read more
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Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, was appointed to the Order in 2006.
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The Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal, and the Duke of Gloucester arrive for the Order of the Garter service at St George’s Chapel.
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Prince Edward walks with his nephew, the Prince of Wales to St. George’s Chapel.
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Kate and Sophie shared a laugh as they waited for the service to begin.
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Membership in the Order of the Garter is limited to the sovereign, the Prince of Wales, and 24 companions (Knights and Ladies).
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Appointed in 2022, Queen Camilla, then the Duchess of Cornwall, was one of Queen Elizabeth’s last appointments to the Order of the Garter. Read more
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The Duchess of Edinburgh and the Princess of Wales watch as members of the royal family pass by at the Order of the Garter procession.
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The Princess of Wales, the Duchess of Edinburgh, and Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence exit St. George’s Chapel after the Garter Day service.
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After the service, the royals departed via carriage.
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Kate was all smiles as she rode in a carriage alongside Prince William.
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Kate wore pearl jewelry for the occasion.
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Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester, departs by carriage.
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Princess Anne sat next to her sister-in-law, the Duchess of Edinburgh.
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Across from them sat their husbands, Sir Timothy Laurence and Prince Edward.
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Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, and Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester wave to the crowd.
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Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent—a grandson of King George V and first cousin of Queen Elizabeth—leaves Garter Day by car.
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Another Garter Day concludes, but a busy month for the royals continues.
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