Princess Charlotte‘s in charge. Prince George was instructed by his little sister to take a bow during great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II‘s funeral.
The siblings joined their parents, Prince William and Princess Kate, at the Westminster Abbey service on Monday, September 19, walking into the historic chapel ahead of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle before the ceremony began. After Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby delivered the sermon, Charlotte, 7, was seen reminding George, 9, of royal protocol.
As the queen’s coffin passed them by at Wellington Arch after the service, Charlotte appeared to tell the future king to bow as a sign of respect.
The princess previously stole the show alongside George and Prince Louis, 4, at the late monarch’s Platinum Jubilee in June. On the final day of the celebrations, which honored Elizabeth’s historic 70 years on the throne, the Cambridge children stood outside on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with William and Kate, both 40, while the British national anthem played. When Charlotte spotted her big brother’s hand resting on the balcony rail, she gave him a not-so-subtle nudge to move his hand and stand up straight, which he quickly did.
Louis also caught the world’s attention during the flyover at the palace in June, which seemed to be a little too loud for the young prince. As the queen pointed up to the sky at the planes, her great-grandson covered his ears and grimaced at the noise.
George and Charlotte’s little brother didn’t attend Elizabeth’s funeral on Monday, but Kate recently opened up about how Louis has been dealing with Her Majesty’s death. Governor-General David Hurley of Australia recounted his conversation with the Princess of Wales after attending a reception at the palace on Sunday, September 18, hosted by King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla.
“[Louis] 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,” the politician told reporters, adding that Kate said George had a better understanding of what was going on than his younger siblings did.
The little ones put on brave faces during the Westminster Abbey service. While George was comforted by aunt Sophie, Countess of Wessex, inside the chapel, Charlotte struggled to hold back her tears once the royals made their way outside.
Before her death on September 8, royal expert Kerene Barefield told Us Weekly that Elizabeth felt most “in her element when she’s got her great-grandchildren sitting on her lap” and was “really relaxed” with her extended family, as was her late husband, Prince Philip. “He loved those personal family times when he wasn’t in front of hundreds of people,” Barefield added in December 2021.
