Meghan Markle Stood Behind Kate Middleton On The Balcony Because Of This Royal Pecking Order

If you’ve seen photos of Meghan Markle and the rest of the royal family on the balcony of Birmingham Palace Saturday, you probably noticed the beautiful pale pink dress she wore but may not have given a second thought to where she stood. Like everything else in the life of a royal, the order in which each person made their way onto the balcony was intentional and not happenstance. It seems there is a sort of pecking order when it comes to who goes out in what order at public appearances like the Trooping of the Colour, and it means that Prince William and his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton get to proceed onto the balcony before Harry and Meghan. This is because William is the older of the two brothers.

Meghan’s position in her first Trooping of the Colours was better in one sense than Kate’s position for her debut Trooping. Middleton made her first balcony appearance for the occasion back in 2011. She was in the front row but on the far left. Markle’s position was in the back row but in the center. Their positions are not dictated by any kind of protocol according to People, so Meghan chose where to stand as did Kate.

The newest royal had been back from her honeymoon for a short amount of time before making her appearance for the celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s birthday. Meghan married Prince Harry on May 19. For the Trooping of the Colours, Markle wore a dress that was created by Carolina Herrera. It was pale pink with an off-the-shoulder design and was matched with a hat made by Philip Treacy. The Trooping of the Colours is a day full of celebration. It began with a military parade. Members of the royal family arrived in carriages. Meghan and Harry shared a carriage while the queen rode in a separate one. Once everyone had arrived, they gathered on the balcony to watch the Royal Air Force fly by.

The youngest royal, William and Kate’s son Louis, was absent from the festivities as he’s considered too little to attend. With Prince William and Duchess of Cambridge Kate, Prince Harry and Duchess of Sussex Meghan, and the queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Duchess of Cornwall Camilla, and royal children Princess Charlotte and Prince George were in attendance. It was Meghan Markle’s second public appearance as the wife of Prince Harry. Her first appearance was at the 70th birthday party for Prince Charles.