The most famous balconies in the world
The balcony of Buckingham Palace is a symbol of the fans' association with the royal family
The world's most famous balcony from which the royal family overlooks the public, Getty
picture
The balcony of Buckingham Palace in London has remained one of the most famous balconies in the world at all, as it witnessed the celebrations of the end of the Second World War, and has been the scene of the most important national events since the first appearance of Queen Victoria in 1851, as it witnessed all royal marriages.
On the platinum jubilee of Queen Elizabeth, the balcony once again serves as the picture frame for the Queen and 17 other members of the royal family on this grand occasion.
"There has been a lot of chatter about who will be there and who will not be there," says Pauloin Maclaran, a researcher at the Center for Modern Royal Studies at Royal Holloway, University of London.
Only "members of the royal family" and their children appear on such occasions, with the exception of the Queen's son Prince Andrew and her grandson Prince Harry and his wife Megan, Duchess of Sussex.
There have been more than 40 people on the balcony on previous occasions, so generally limiting numbers is also a deliberate choice.
And it sends a message about who are the most important players on the royal stage.
It's not just a lineup, it's a line of succession.
There are suggestions that the Queen could appear for the second time on the balcony on Sunday, putting the issue of succession in the spotlight, along with her heir Prince Charles, grandson Prince William and son Prince George.
"It's all very symbolic," says Professor McClaran.
It shows the permanence of the monarchy, though faces have changed.”
The balcony is largely a royal family space, but only two prime ministers, Neville Chamberlain, after negotiating the Munich Agreement with Germany in 1938, and Sir Winston Churchill as the masses celebrated the end of the war in Europe in 1945, reached the balcony.
There are no official rules as to where the audience should stand on the balcony, but Professor McClaran says, there is a clear pattern that can be discerned, with the Queen standing prominently in the foreground.
The main group will be senior members of the royal family, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.
There may be young children stealing the show, and there may be some skepticism about some maneuvers to get close to the Queen, but there is a basic "order of precedence", says McClaran.
Arrange attendance on the balcony
The senior members of the royal family take their places in the central area of the balcony while the rest of the family spreads around the fringes, as if they were organized into their places by an unseen wedding photographer.
The one exception where the Queen isn't center stage is the royal wedding when the couple are the stars of the balcony.
This jubilee is different from the diamond jubilee of 2012. Under austerity, there were only six people on the balcony, which was seen as showing a thrifty and brooding royal portrait.
The audience is a key player
Another important figure is not on the balcony, and it's the crowded crowd below.
The balcony events are about “the public honoring the royal family and the royal family honoring the public,” says Professor Heather Jones, writer and professor of history at University College London.
And for the monarchy, which depends on the approval of the public, this is one of the biggest symbolic stages where the royal family and the public can communicate.
On big occasions, such as the outbreak of World War I, Jones adds, it was the crowd that demanded the appearance of the royal family.
In 1914, King George V recorded in his diary that he felt the crowd had forced him to appear on the balcony, while the country was preparing for war.
When the public was celebrating the defeat of Hitler in World War II, the public was adamant in demanding that the Queen appear eight separate times on the balcony.
"There is a feeling from the public about going to Buckingham Palace, in these big patriotic moments," she says.
Jones says the balcony is a platform for the public's connection to the monarchy.
It makes the royals visible but at the same time makes them feel the distance between them and the public.
She believes that “there is a kind of dimension that is really important.”
Access to the royal family may seem accessible, but the balcony is still high and out of reach.
It helps maintain this royal balance of wanting to be associated with the "national family", but that family remains in the same high and private level.
The balcony is largely a royal family space, but only two prime ministers, Neville Chamberlain, after negotiating the Munich Agreement with Germany in 1938, and Sir Winston Churchill as the masses celebrated the end of the war in Europe in 1945, reached the balcony.
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news