I Noticed Something Super Strange About Prince William's Position on the Royal Balcony

How odd...

Published May 6, 2025

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5:37pm

Kin Cheung - WPA Pool/Getty Images

This week marks the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day (or VE Day), when the Second World War ended in Europe in 1945. To commemorate the historic moment, the royal family participated in a military procession, held a special tea party for veterans and made a joint appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony. King Charles and Queen Camilla stood front and center, and several photos were captured of the royals observing the patriotic flypast. But there was one little detail that struck me as odd.

I saw that His Majesty stood beside his wife (nothing unusual there), but on the other side stood his sister, Princess Anne, rather than his heir, Prince William.

Royal family on 80th anniversary of VE Day

Karwai Tang/WireImage

In the photo, William stands beside the queen with his wife, Kate Middleton, and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. Although this is still a prominent position, it's a bit surprising that the future king and his family aren't by his father's side. Also, it's quite the change from what I've seen previously.

Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu via Getty Images

For example, in 2024, when the royals appeared on the balcony during the king's birthday parade, King Charles was flanked by his wife and Prince William's family. While the prince isn't standing right beside his father, his family's closer proximity to the king seems to hold a bit more significance here.

As the royals honored all those who served during World War II, Buckingham Palace shared several highlights on Instagram, including striking balcony shots and candid pics of Prince George speaking with veterans.

The caption reads, "A pleasure also to meet with veterans at this afternoon’s tea party. Thank you to everybody who came, and to all those members of the military who took part in today’s incredibly special parade. It has been a day to remember."

The day's events will be followed by Queen Camilla's trip to the Tower of London on Tuesday, where she'll view a display of ceramic poppies. Then, later this week, the royals will attend a service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey and a celebratory VE Day concert at Horse Guards Parade.

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Nakeisha Campbell

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