Royals Queen Elizabeth Makes Her Platinum Jubilee Debut at Trooping the Colour The Queen, 96, is celebrating her 70 years on the throne alongside the royal family By Simon Perry Published on June 2, 2022 07:40AM EDT Share Tweet Pin Email Queen Elizabeth has arrived for her birthday parade! The Queen, 96, took her place on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for Trooping the Colour on Thursday. Joined by her cousin, the Duke of Kent, the Queen took the official salute. She wore a light blue ensemble embellished with pearl and diamante trim by her personal dressmaker and close friend Angela Kelly — the same outfit she wore in her newly released portrait to mark her Platinum Jubilee! — with one of her signature wide-brimmed hats that perfectly coordinated with her dress. The monarch walked out using a cane, which she has been using regularly since last year to help with her ongoing mobility issues. This year, the events are slightly different from usual, taking into account the Queen's mobility difficulties. For the first time, the monarch didn't take part in the main parade and instead took the salute from the palace balcony. Queen Elizabeth Wears Rarely Seen Brooch with a Touching Backstory Dating Back to Her 19th Birthday It is the first time in three years that the monarch has been able to carry out the event at the palace. Trooping the Colour, which is the military parade that marks the British Sovereign's official birthday, hasn't taken place in a traditional capacity since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, there were pared-back parades in the quadrangle at Windsor Castle. Queen Elizabeth. Tim Rooke/Shutterstock The Queen typically takes the salute during the parade, but her son and heir Prince Charles will instead inspect the troops on his mother's behalf. He will be accompanied on horseback by Prince William and Princess Anne. The Queen will then take her salute on the palace balcony alongside her cousin the Duke of Kent after the troops have conducted their parade. Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Kent. Tim Rooke/Shutterstock The Queen will later appear on the palace balcony alongside the senior working members of her family, including Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Corwall, Prince William and Kate Middleton. William and Kate Middleton's children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, will also join the Queen on the balcony. Prince Charles and Prince William at Trooping the Colour on June 2. Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty Images Missing from the balcony will be Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Prince Andrew. The Queen announced in April that they would not be included in the balcony appearance because they are no longer working members of the family. For more on the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day. Instead, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will take part in the festive occasion by joining extended royal family members in viewing the parade from the Major General's Office, which overlooks the Horse Guards Parade. Prince Andrew, however, won't be taking part in Trooping the Colour in any capacity. Trooping the Colour. Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty Images Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! On Friday, the royal family will gather for a National Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul's Cathedral and a star-studded pop concert at the palace on Saturday. Earlier this week, the Queen returned from a short break at her Balmoral estate in Scotland, which she took to help her prepare for the long Jubilee weekend.