Why Princess Anne wore military uniform to Trooping the Colour but Queen Camilla and Kate Middleton did not

Princess Anne looked amazing on horseback in her military uniform for the Trooping the Colour parade today, but why did she get to wear uniform when Queen Camilla and Kate Middleton did not?

• While Queen Camilla, Kate Middleton and Princess Anne are all Colonels of various military regiments, Princess Anne was the only female royal to don military garbs for this year's Trooping the Colour parade. 
• This was likely due to a simple personal choice on the part of each royal, but Anne does hold many military titles that Camilla and Kate do not.
• In other royal news, King's Birthday Honours include well-known faces and a nod to his beloved grandchildren - but not how you might expect.

King Charles III's first Trooping the Colour as monarch was a spectacle and not least because the King made history as the first monarch to ride on horseback in the parade for over 30 years.

The women of the Royal Family all looked stunning as they rode in horse-drawn carriages and later appeared on the Buckingham Palace Balcony. Duchess Sophie looked stunning in a gorgeous cream outfit from Kate Middleton's favorite brand while Kate Middleton opted a symbolic green Andrew Gn dress and Camilla referenced the Grenadier Guards in a red silk coat dress.  

The Wales children also made an appearance, co-ordinating their outfits around the patriotic color of red to perfectly pull off the Trooping the Colour dress code. 

But fans were quick to point out that Princess Anne was the only woman of the Royal Family to appear in ceremonial Military uniform despite the fact that both Kate and Camilla are Colonels of UK Military regiments.  

Like she did for last year's Trooping the Colour, the Queen's state funeral and for last month's Coronation celebrations where she undertook a star role, Princess Anne attended today's event in a Royal Navy ceremonial uniform, which represents her role in that division of the army.

Princess Anne is allowed to wear a military uniform because, while she has never been in the military, she holds several military honors and titles.

She is currently the Admiral of the Navy after being promoted twice from Rear Admiral to Vice Admiral in 2009 and then to Admiral in 2012. As well as this impressive title, in 2020 Anne was also made General in the British Army and an Air Chief Marshal in the Royal Air Force.

On top of this, the Princess Royal holds many other military titles that give her credibility across the commonwealth. These roles include; Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Canadian Navy, Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal New Zealand Army Nursing Corps, and Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Australian Corps of Transport. 

Anne's uniform boasts the huge collection of medals awarded to the Princess, the list of which is exhaustive and includes; Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal, Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal, Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, Canadian Forces Decoration, Order of St John Service Medal, and New Zealand 1990 Medal.

Queen Camilla and Kate Middleton also hold similar titles in the military, though neither has quite as many as Anne. In December 2022, Camilla became Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, the guards who can be spotted outside Buckingham Palace in bearskin hats and red uniforms, while Kate Middleton was given the title of honorary Colonel of the Irish Guards by King Charles in the same year.

So why didn't Kate and Camilla wear uniform during the Trooping the Colour parade when they hold military titles just like Princess Anne? Ultimately, as reported by The Mirror, it came down to a personal choice. 

It is believed that Kate decided to join Queen Camilla in travelling to the event in a horse-drawn carriage as the pair have done previously for these type of events. Both Prince William and King Charles were on horseback in uniform alongside Princess Anne so it is believed that Kate opted to stay with her children who were travelling alongside her and Camilla in the carriage. 

Anne is known for her love of horses and likely chose to wear military garb over a formal dress to make riding a horse in the parade an easier possibility. Kate Middleton however, has previously shared that she is actually allergic to horses - a trait she may have passed down to Prince George after he was spotted sneezing in the horse-drawn carriage during today's parade.