An Unexpected Guest Attended King Charles’ Coronation & Ended Up ‘Stealing The Show’

May 09, 2023

The royal family has been in the headlines for decades. After the tragic passing of Princess Diana in 1997, the world continued to pay close attention to the royals. Princess Diana left behind two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. Prince William met his wife, Kate Middleton, now Princess Catherine, and they now have three beautiful children. First, the couple had Prince George, followed by Princess Charlotte, and most recently Prince Louis. 

Louis was born on April 23, 2018, at the same hospital where William was born, London’s St. Mary’s Hospital. The prince, who emerged at around 11 a.m., was a healthy 8 pounds, 7 ounces. Beyond being the youngest of the Wales bunch, Louis is special in other ways, too.

Louis is an unusual contender for the title of Duke of Edinburgh, as the late Prince Philip notably wanted his youngest son Prince Edward to inherit it, as the Daily Mail reported. In fact, prior to Prince Edward's marriage to his wife, it was officially stated that the prince, lacking any royal dukedom or another title, would inherit his father's once Prince Philip had passed. 

Louis is fourth in line for the throne, preceded by his father William and siblings Prince George and Princess Charlotte. Interestingly, Louis was the first male-born heir who would not precede his older sister in the royal succession.

Being the baby of his family, Prince Louis is a fan favorite amongst the royals. The young royal has stolen hearts since he was born, but as he's growing up he's truly stolen the show from his older siblings. Case in point — his cheeky antics during the late Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebration in June 2022 and his more recent antics during King Charles' coronation in May 2023. 

A lot has changed in the royal family since Prince William and Princess Catherine got married on April 29, 2011, not least of which includes the arrival of their three children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. One interesting detail about their children's official titles is that a patented letter released in 2012 allowed the then-newly married couple to give their children proper royal titles. 

The public notice read, "The Queen has been pleased by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm dated 31 December 2012 to declare that all the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales should have and enjoy the style, title and attribute of royal highness with the titular dignity of Prince or Princess prefixed to their Christian names or with such other titles of honour."

Louis’ birth in 2018 was a monumental occasion, celebrated not only by the Wales household but the rest of the royal family and even their home country. According to Royal UK, parents William and Kate made sure to include their two eldest children in welcoming their third child. George and Charlotte visited Louis on the very day he was born.

A few days later, on April 27, 2018, the Prince and Princess of Wales announced that they had agreed upon a name for their youngest prince, naming him Louis Arthur Charles. His formal name is His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Wales. Louis’ birth was registered just a few days later, and William and Kate quickly began releasing photographs of their youngest child.

In July of the same year Louis was born, the Prince and Princess of Wales had their son baptized at the Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace – a tradition that many families in the royal family have followed for generations.

Since then, the tiny prince has started to slowly grow up right before our very eyes. As the years have progressed, Louis has started to show more of his personality and has made headlines all around the world for his cheeky behavior and adorable facial expressions. He must have some great role models to look up to in his parents, as they have instilled some strict rules for their entire Wales family while still making sure the kids get to have fun and feel as normal as possible despite being in line for the succession of the throne.

Looking at the interactions between the members of the Wales family, it’s easy to see that William and Kate really do care for their children. This is especially seen through their positive body language.

Patti Wood, who has both a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in Body Language and Nonverbal Communication, has analyzed the royal family before, and she talked with Insider about her discoveries in June 2019. She first explained William and Kate have exemplified positive body language over the years, from showing relaxation around one another to smiling happily with each other. At times, they have shown that they are “clearly confident and relaxed in the relationship.”

When looking at their interactions with Louis when he was born in April 2018, Wood explained how the royal couple still showed a great desire for one another. In a photograph taken on the steps outside St. Mary’s Hospital, Wood noted how William and Kate were “looking at the baby, but not leaning in as a couple,” leading to a “desire to get closer” to each other.

When speaking with Good Housekeeping in January 2018, body language expert Blanca Cobb talked about how the couple’s body language was proof that they are indeed the backbone of their family. “Overall, their attentive body language indicates that they’re in tune to their children’s emotional needs,” she said. 

Dr. Amanda Gummer, a child development expert and psychologist, also chimed in and told Express UK that Kate's parenting style is "powerful."It’s lovely to see the Duchess demonstrate some really powerful parenting techniques," Dr. Gummer said, adding, "(For example) a focus on playfulness and meeting the children where they are at, getting down to their level and meeting their gaze when talking to them." 

Dr. Gummer also added that Kate appears to be well-equipped to deal with the stress that comes with being a parent to children that grow up in the public eye. "It can be a real challenge for families growing up in the public eye to manage children’s natural behavior," the expert said, adding, "The Duchess seems to be navigating that road well."

It’s also clear that Kate and William enjoy being parents and being around their cute kids. “Both Prince William and Kate are all smiles while interacting with their children, letting us know how much they enjoy being parents,” Cobb told Good Housekeeping.

Wood had a similar analysis and especially noted how the parents have been shown to lean down to get to eye level with their kids, creating an intimate moment between the family and away from outside influences. “This behavior shows that their children are their primary focus, regardless of how many cameras are in their face,” Wood said.

Perhaps this was most evident when Louis' cheeky antics at Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee were seen by all, as Kate kept composure in the face of her youngest son's outbursts. 

Children grow up quickly, but photographs allow everyone to relive moments bygone. The Prince and Princess of Wales have therefore taken to capturing their children’s lives in photographs over the years. As a result, there exist a number of cute and adorable pictures of their children that chronicle their growth. For Prince Louis’ 4th birthday in 2022, photos of him playing on the beach were released. Taken by his mother, who photographs all of the Wales children for their birthday portraits, the images depicted Louis as he’d grown into a young boy.

A picture is worth a thousand words, but live-action antics tell a much more detailed story! It was during 2022’s Trooping the Colour, which took place in June during the late Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebration, that Louis made an even bigger impression on the public. The young royal first went viral for his reaction during the Trooping the Colour. He happily waved at the crowd for one moment before he began to pull funny faces at everyone below. 

When the RAF flypast took place, Louis’ mood seemed to have changed quickly, as he put his hands over his ears and appeared to let out a yell. Surrounded by his mother and grandmother, Louis wasn’t the only child to cover his ears, as Princess Charlotte did too. Nevertheless, he stole the show that day, despite crowds being delighted to see the queen during her big celebration. The internet made no secret of their love for Louis’ antics, but he certainly wasn’t done. He topped his own high jinks later in the weekend when he went viral once again for his reactions during the pageant. The public reacted with a lot of love for Louis, as they joked about how he embodied all of the emotions one can feel, in such a short span of time. 

As King Charles' coronation day inched closer, reports began to surface about who would and who wouldn’t be attending. Much was made about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s possible appearance, although that was put to bed. Harry sat in the third row during the service while Markle remained in the United States with their two children. However, when news surfaced that fan favorite Louis might not attend, jaws fell. Some believed the reason could be his misbehavior during past events, such as when he stuck his tongue out at his mother while she struggled to calm him down at the Platinum Jubilee in June 2022, while others pointed to the fact that Louis was still only 5 years old and an hours-long public event might be too much for him to bear. 

Luckily, when Charles’ big day came on May 6, 2023, Louis made his entrance alongside his sister and thus began another day of cheeky antics. 

It started with Louis in Westminster Church having a look around the abbey the ceremony took place in, and who could blame him for being so curious? For most of the ceremony, the guests stayed seated, and Louis did an admirable job, only pulling a few faces before a hearty yawn right at the camera made clear that this little royal was just a regular 5-year-old after all. He did, however, earn a stern remark from his mother when he started talking to his sister, Princess Charlotte. Louis’ antics were fodder for the day’s meme machine, which came up with gags about him wearing a “Star Wars” costume and possible thoughts running through his head.

Eagle-eyed viewers noticed Louis did disappear for a moment during the proceedings, but he soon returned, with the break likely needed for a child his age.

The royals capped off the day with a customary Buckingham Palace balcony appearance as the Royal Air Force conducted its final flypast overhead. The newly crowned King Charles and Queen Camilla were the first to make their appearance together. They were joined by the Waleses as well as other senior members of the royal family.

As the youngest – and smallest – of the lot, Prince Louis took his place at the front as his sister and parents were joined by the Edinburghs and page boys, including Prince George, who became the first future king to have held an official role during a coronation. Princess Charlotte looked to be having a good time smiling sweetly and waving to the crowd. However, Prince Louis once again stole the show with his characteristic playful persona that has gained him a slew of fans.

As the minutes passed on the balcony, the expression on Louis’ face said it all. Looking at the same view for more than 3 minutes can be an incredible ask of a restless 5-year-old, and Louis was no different. With a look of almost utter neutrality at the spectacle, he soon began to move about his idle hands in a playful manner, first with palms to the sky before turning them around to mimic playing the piano. His enthusiasm returned, however, once the roar of the planes could be heard. As the flypast droned overhead, Louis couldn’t contain his excitement and roared away himself while pointing upwards.

It seems the young Prince can do no wrong as his antics were a hit with viewers. During ITV’s live broadcast, its commentators couldn’t help but laugh as Louis appeared to be conducting an imaginary orchestra from the balcony. One of them remarked:

“Louis is stealing the show. He’s turning into an art form.”

Were you glad to see little Louis at the coronation? Do you love the way Prince Louis's personality shines through? Tell us your thoughts, and be sure to pass this on to others if his antics tickled you!