UK royals greet crowds from Buckingham Palace balcony

King Charles III and Queen Camilla greeted rain-drenched crowds Saturday with smiles and waves, in two appearances alongside other British royals from the balcony of Buckingham Palace shortly after their coronations.

The newly crowned couple, who emerged to cheers from tens of thousands of onlookers below, were joined by Charles's heir, Prince William, his wife Catherine, and their three children.

Charles's youngest brother, Prince Edward, his wife Sophie, and their two children were also there. His only sister, Princess Anne, also made an appearance.

However, the king's younger son Prince Harry and eldest brother Prince Andrew, were notable absentees from the line-up, with the balcony appearances restricted to working royals only.

Harry and his American wife Meghan quit royal duties in 2020 and have since unleashed a string of barbed attacks on the monarchy.

Andrew, the king's eldest brother, has been frozen out over his past association with the disgraced late US financier Jeffrey Epstein and a related sexual abuse allegation which was settled out of court.

Those present were treated to a ceremonial fly-past of military aircraft, which had to be pared back due to the wet weather.

It featured an assortment of Royal Air Force helicopters, followed by its Red Arrows display team trailing red, white and blue smoke over the palace and central London.

After the display had ended and the royals departed the balcony, they reappeared for a briefer second appearance, again to cheers from the crowds.

Sam Day, who had camped out overnight for the chance to see the family, told AFP it was "definitely worth it" as he had awaited their arrival moments earlier -- "even though the weather did not shine".

Day said the spectacle made her "proud" and even expressed affection for Harry, whose popularity has plummeted in Britain following his attacks on the monarchy.

"If he comes back we'd still love him," she added.

The balcony appearances by Charles and Camilla are their last scheduled public events Saturday.

However, British broadcasters noted that his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, made another unscheduled evening appearance from the famous perch at her own coronation in 1953.

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© Agence France-Presse

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