Mother knows best. Princess Kate was spotted reminding Prince George and Princess Charlotte to bow before leaving Queen Elizabeth II‘s funeral.
The Princess of Wales, 40, Meghan Markle and Camilla, Queen Consort paid respect to the late monarch as her casket was carried out of Westminster Abbey on Monday, September 19, following her funeral. As Kate curtsied, she could be seen saying something to George, 9, and Charlotte, 7, who were standing in front of her outside the chapel. The siblings then appeared to follow suit, with the future king bowing his head while his younger sister showed off her curtsy.
George and Charlotte accompanied Kate and Prince William to the funeral to honor their “Gan-Gan,” — a nickname lovingly given to the late monarch by the oldest Cambridge child. After arriving in a car with Camilla, 75, the twosome processed into the church behind their parents and in front of Prince Harry and Meghan. At one point during the emotional service, Sophie, Countess of Wessex was spotted comforting George by putting her arm around his shoulders.
Charlotte, meanwhile, burst into tears outside the church after saying goodbye to her great-grandmother. The Duchess of Cambridge was seen comforting her only daughter during the touching moment.
Afterward, Queen Elizabeth — who died on September 8 at the age of 96 — was transported to Windsor, where the royal family attended a brief committal ceremony before she was buried alongside her late husband, Prince Philip. As the casket made its way past Wellington Arch, Charlotte appeared to remind her older brother to bow as a sign of respect.
The prince and princess’s younger brother, Prince Louis, did not attend the service on Monday, after William and Kate decided that it would be too “overwhelming” for the youngster. “Kate and William flip-flopped over whether Louis should attend the queen’s funeral,” a source told Us Weekly exclusively. “[They] came to the conclusion that the procession and service would be too lengthy and overwhelming for their youngest to handle and digest, adding that the 4-year-old “stayed with the nanny” instead.
Though Louis was not present at the queen’s funeral, Kate recently opened up about how her youngest son has been processing the loss. “[He] is now asking questions like, ‘Do you think we can still play these games when we go to Balmoral,’ and things like that, because she’s not going to be there,” Governor-General David Hurley of Australia recalled after speaking with the royal at King Charles III‘s reception for world leaders and dignitaries on Sunday, September 18. “[George, meanwhile,] is sort of now realizing how important his great-grandmother was and what is going on.”
On September 10, Kate also told bystanders who gathered outside Buckingham Palace to pay their respects to the queen that Louis said, “At least Grannie is with Great-Grandpa now,” after learning about her death.
