Stealing the show! Prince William and Duchess Kate’s three children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — stood out during Trooping the Colour.
George, 8, Charlotte, 7, and Louis, 4, joined their great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II — and many of their royal family members — on Thursday, June 2, to watch the annual festivities amid her Platinum Jubilee from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
At one point, the queen, 96, encouraged her great-grandson Louis to look at the planes during the flyover, and he did, initially waving at them from the balcony. Within a few seconds, however, he covered his ears to block out some of the noise from the jets.
The image quickly became a meme, with social media users describing the young prince’s reaction as a “whole mood.” One Twitter user wrote, “Prince Louis is the only royal [I’d] like to see land a Netflix deal.” Another added, “Prince Louis is always the main character.”
Moments earlier, the kids made their carriage procession debut with Kate, 40, and Duchess Camilla. During the ride, Charlotte encouraged her little brother to stop waving to the crowd in another adorably viral scene.
While Trooping the Colour is an annual parade in honor of the monarch’s birthday, Thursday’s events are extra special since it falls on her Platinum Jubilee. (Elizabeth is celebrating 70 years since ascending the throne.) Along with the Cambridge family, Prince Charles and Camilla, 74, stood on the balcony to watch the procession.
“It’s going to be great,” royal expert Nick Bullen exclusively told Us Weekly of the celebration last month. “The image of the queen on the balcony after Trooping the Colour on the first day of the full weekend — I think that will be a very poignant moment.”
While the Duke of Cambridge, 39, the Duchess of Cambridge and their children stood beside the regent on Thursday, Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle were notably absent from the balcony. They were spotted standing in the Major General’s Office at Buckingham Palace during the event.
“After careful consideration, the Queen has decided that this year’s traditional Trooping the Colour balcony appearance on Thursday 2nd of June will be limited to Her Majesty and those members of the Royal Family who are currently undertaking official public duties on behalf of the Queen,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson previously said in a statement in May, referring to the 37-year-old Duke of Sussex and the 40-year-old Suits alum’s 2020 decision to step down from their positions as senior royals.
Though Harry — who shares son Archie, 3, and daughter Lilibet, 11 months, with the Bench author — has since relocated to Montecito, California, with his brood, he remains close to his niece and nephews.
“[George, Charlotte and Louis are] extremely fond of him also,” an insider exclusively told Us in May, noting that Harry is still considered one of their role models. “Charlotte will send everyone in the family thoughtful gifts and cards, and at the very least they’ll call as a family to sing happy birthdays and so on.”
The source added: “[Charlotte] adores [Queen Elizabeth II] and her grandpa [Prince] Charles dotes on her in a big way. They’re very proud of the person she’s developing into, just as they are with George and Louis.”
Ahead of Thursday’s celebrations, George and Charlotte attended their first royal Easter services on April 17 alongside their parents at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. At the time, Charlotte and Kate matched in blue dresses while George and the military veteran sported navy suits.
Scroll below to see more of George, Charlotte and Louis’ cutest moments at Trooping the Colour: