Kate stares down anti-monarchy protesters in London

The Princess of Wales appeared to glare at anti-monarchy protesters lined up on the streets of London at Trooping the Colour this weekend.

The King’s official birthday celebrations were topped with a Red Arrows fly-past on Saturday after a display of military pomp and pageantry.

Thousands of fans gathered in the streets, hoping to get a glimpse of the royals as they rode down the streets of the capital in carriages.

Kate, travelling with her children George, Charlotte, and Louis, passed anti-monarchy demonstrators from the group Republic who opened umbrellas decorated to spell out ‘Stop The Reign’.

Some protesters booed the family as they rode past, and the Princess of Wales appeared to stare down the protesters before joining other royals on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

Looking back towards the demonstrators from her carriage, she seemed to keep her cool and showed little emotion as she passed by.

Republic, the group behind the display, wants to abolish the monarchy by an act of parliament, which would transfer Crown assets to the nation or parliament.

They argue that ceremonies such as Trooping the Colour and the change of the guard can remain, but only as a ‘symbol of heritage’.

‘Republics often keep these traditions alive, but they become a symbol of our heritage, not a reminder of hereditary wealth and privilege. What we keep and what we get rid of is entirely up to us, decisions we can make through more democratic institutions,’ the group’s website reads.

The group currently has three active campaigns. One is to abolish royal secrecy; abolish the Duchies, landed estates and corporations used by the royals to generate income; and cut the royal budget, which currently sits around half a billion pounds.

What is Trooping the Colour?

Trooping the Colour is a historic ceremony where colours, or regimental flags, used as rallying points in battle, were ‘trooped’ or paraded in front of soldiers so they would be recognised.

Traditionally, over 200 horses, 1400 parading soldiers from regiments of the British and Commonwealth armies and 400 musicians congregate at Buckingham Palace to put on a parade of military precision while crowds gather to watch on The Mall.

This year, Charles inspected the troops from a carriage, passing the ranks of just over a thousand guardsmen from the Grenadier, Scots, Irish and Coldstream Guards regiments, and later stood to salute as the colours marched past him.

Prince Louis, often the fan favourite at royal events like this, was smartly dressed in a shirt, trousers, tie and double-breasted jacket for the event and at one point pulled at his collar as he tried to loosen it.

When the Red Arrows flew over, he turned and spoke to his parents, making William and Kate laugh.

Crowds had gathered in The Mall to see the royal family, but the area directly in front of Buckingham Palace was kept free of spectators.

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