Who’s who in the royal line-up for the Queen’s balcony appearance?

Eighteen royals including the monarch watched the flypast on the first day of the Jubilee weekend.

The Duke of Gloucester, Duchess of Gloucester, Princess Alexandra, Duke of Kent, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence , the Princess Royal, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Prince of Wales , Queen Elizabeth II, the Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince George, the Duke of Cambridge, the Countess of Wessex, James Viscount Severn, Lady Louise Windsor, and the Earl of Wessex on the balcony of Buckingham Palace (Jonathan Brady/PA) (PA Wire)

Heirs to the throne, future queens and minor royals who have dedicated decades of their lives to supporting the monarch joined the head of state for her special Jubilee balcony appearance.

The Queen limited those taking to the famous frontage of Buckingham Palace for the flypast to working members of her family after “careful consideration”, the Palace said.

It meant there was no place for the Sussexes, who caused a crisis by quitting as senior royals and accusing an unnamed royal of racism, nor her disgraced second son the Duke of York, who has stepped away from public life.

The Duke and Duchess Gloucester, Princess Alexandra, Duke of Kent, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence , the Princess Royal, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Prince of Wales, the Queen, the Cambridges, the Countess of Wessex, James Viscount Severn, Lady Louise Windsor, and the Earl of Wessex (hidden) (Jonathan Brady/PA) (PA Wire)

Eighteen royals including the Queen stepped out to watch the high-profile display by more than 70 aircraft.

The key players on the royal stage included future king the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, who was backed by the Queen in her Jubilee year to one day take the title of Queen.

There also was second in line the Duke of Cambridge, and the Duchess of Cambridge also a future Queen, and their three children Prince George – a future monarch – Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

The Queen’s other children – the Princess Royal, known for her hard-working, no-nonsense approach to royal duties, and the Earl of Wessex – took pride of place with their spouses Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence and the Countess of Wessex, along with the Wessexes’ children – Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn.

1. The Queen
2. The Prince of Wales
3. The Duchess of Cornwall
4. The Duke of Cambridge
5. The Duchess of Cambridge
6. Prince George
7. Princess Charlotte
8. Prince Louis
9. The Princess Royal
10. Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence
11. The Earl of Wessex
12. The Countess of Wessex
13. Lady Louise Windsor
14. Viscount Severn
15. The Duke of Kent
16. The Duke of Gloucester
17. The Duchess of Gloucester
18. Princess Alexandra

The Queen also invited her cousins Princess Alexandra, the Duke of Kent and the Duke of Gloucester, with his wife the Duchess of Gloucester, to attend.

The dukes and their sister Alexandra are close to the monarch and have spent their lives working quietly and dependably behind the scenes carrying out royal engagements.

The Duke of Gloucester, Duchess of Gloucester, Princess Alexandra, Duke of Kent, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence and the Princess Royal, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace (Aaron Chown/PA) (PA Wire)

It was notable the Queen asked the Duke of Kent – known as Steady Eddie for his reliability and good grace – to be at her side to take the salute from Trooping soldiers during her earlier balcony appearance the same day.

This Jubilee line-up was a marked change from the Diamond Jubilee, with a return to the wider supporting cast of royals – more similar to the Golden Jubilee celebrations

In 2012, a slimmed-down version of The Firm stepped out to greet the mass crowds celebrating the Queen’s 60-year reign.

The Silver Jubilee balcony appearance in 1977, Golden Jubilee in 2002 and Diamond Jubilee in 2012 (PA)

Just six royals waved to the well-wishers at the frontage of monarchy HQ – the Queen and only those at the very top of the succession list and their wives – Charles, Camilla, William, Kate and Harry.

The decision was said to be part of Charles’ vision of streamlining and modernising the institution.

Ten years earlier during the 2002 Golden Jubilee, 20 members of the royal family had packed the balcony of the Queen’s London home to watch a traditional flypast.