Photos : Meghan's first royal engagement after giving birth

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has made her first appearance at a public engagement Saturday since the birth of her son, Archie Harrison Mountbattan-Windsor, at the traditional Trooping the Colour, a celebration of the Queen's official birthday. 

She emerged from Buckingham Palace in a horse-drawn carriage, sitting next to her husband Prince Harry, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.

Wearing a blue hat, the Duchess of Sussex waved to thousands of people who had gathered along the Mall in London to watch the spectacle, in which more than 200 horses, 400 musicians, and 1,400 officers are taking part.

The Parade moves from Buckingham Palace and down the Mall to Horse Guard's Parade in Whitehall.

 

The monarch is technically the head of Britain's armed forces, and would traditionally lead an army into war. The parade, which gives the Queen a chance to review her army, moves from Buckingham Palace down the Mall to Horse Guard's Parade, with members of the royal family traveling on horseback or carriage.

Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, shared a carriage with Meghan.

 

When the Queen was younger, she would ride side-saddle on horseback to greet the public. But in recent years, she travels by horse and opens carriage.

This year the Queen was resplendent in cream as she traveled from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guard's Parade in a state carriage.

The Queen traveled down the Mall in a carriage.

 

She was followed by Charles, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York, the Duke of Cambridge, and her daughter Princess Royal, who were all on horseback.

The Queen inspects the troops at Horse Guard's Parade before riding back to Buckingham Palace at the head of her Guards. Once at the palace, the entire royal family will gather on the balcony to watch the colorful flypast by the Royal Air Force.

More than 200 horses, 400 musicians and 1,400 officers take part in the parade.

 

The event is also marked by a 41-gun salute in Green Park by the Horse Artillery.

The Queen's real birthday is on April 21, but official celebrations always take place in June, and often for a whole weekend.

The nation's longest-serving monarch turned 93 in April.

According to the Royal Family's website, the Trooping of the Color has traditionally marked the official birthday of the British Sovereign for more than 260 years.

Source: CNN