UK:(TheCOWNews Digital)While Trooping the Colour is traditionally held to celebrate the reigning monarch’s official birthday, it was young Prince Louis who captured hearts and headlines this year.
The seven-year-old royal delighted onlookers as he waved with uncontained enthusiasm from an Ascot Landau, joined by his mother, Catherine, Princess of Wales, and his siblings, Prince George, 11, and Princess Charlotte, 10.
Meanwhile, Prince William rode horseback in the grand parade alongside the Duke of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal.
At one point, Prince George shielded his eyes from the crowd, only to be cheekily mimicked by Prince Louis, whose playful gesture prompted a warm, beaming smile from his older brother. Cameras caught the heartwarming exchange, with Louis laughing joyfully, much to the crowd’s delight.
Soon after, Catherine ushered the children indoors to prepare for the Royal Air Force flypast, continuing a cherished tradition of family appearances.
Dressed in matching smart suits with white shirts and vibrant red ties, both princes took part in the historic spectacle, which featured more than 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses, and 400 musicians marching in honour of King Charles III.
According to MailOnline, the Wales Family certainly seem to enjoy coordinating their outfits with Charlotte and Catherine sitting opposite the boys in the carriage wearing matching blue dresses.
Catherine, 43, looked resplendent in an aquamarine coat dress from her late mother-in-law Princess Diana’s favourite designer Catherine Walker – complete with a wide-brimmed hat by Juliette Botterill.
The mother-of-three accessorised with the Irish Guards regimental brooch as well as the Bahrain Pearl Drop earrings in a sweet tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
They were crafted from pearls gifted to the Queen and Philip from the ruler of Bahrain at the time of their wedding in 1947.
Her mini-me daughter, Charlotte, also paid tribute to the late monarch by re-wearing the Diamond Horseshoe brooch she had worn to her great-grandmother’s funeral.
The brooch, which has been in the Royal Family for generations, had been a gift from her ‘Gan-Gan’, the Queen, and was a fitting nod to Her Majesty’s love of horses.
Later on, the Royal Family appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony for the RAF flypast.
As ever, Louis put on a cheeky display for spectators – some of whom had camped overnight in a thunderstorm for a good view of the parade.
The youngster, known for his ‘window wiper wave’, waved excitedly at fans as he showed off his gap-toothed grin.
Ever the composed older brother, Prince George gently tried to calm Louis down by placing one hand on his arm. Their father William, 40, who looked handsome in a scarlet military tunic looked down affectionately at his sons.
At one point, Louis turned to his grandfather Charles and appeared to make an observation about the fighter jets flying overhead.
Louis once found the proceedings overwhelming, you wouldn’t know it from the way he snuck in one final wave before Catherine gently ushered her brood back into Buckingham Palace after the spectacular flypast was concluded.
Commenting on the young royal’s reluctance to go back inside, Judi James told MailOnline: ‘There was a seismic change in royal body language signals on the balcony with Louis suddenly morphing into the most visible and active royal but for all the right reasons.
‘Instead of his usual playful activities, he appeared totally focused on the aircraft, only turning to his dad to show off his plane spotting skills, with the affirming nods from William suggesting his younger son is becoming a bit of an aircraft expert
‘It was also Louis lingering longer before going back in, to gaze down at the crowds and to keep up the increasingly royal looking waves longer than the rest of the Firm.
