Prince Louis’ Jubilee balcony appearance could be seen to mirror an iconic moment from Prince William and Kate Middleton’s royal wedding.
The Platinum Jubilee bank holiday might now be over but it’s given fans plenty of memorable moments, many of them surrounding the Queen’s great-grandchildren. At just four years old Prince Louis made his Trooping the Colour carriage debut, as did eight-year-old Prince George and seven-year-old Princess Charlotte, as they marked the extraordinary milestone. And unlike their cousins Lilibet and Archie, all three siblings went on to appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony this year as the children of working royals.
Joining their proud parents Prince William and Duchess Kate, the Queen and other senior working members of The Firm, they waved to the crowds as they awaited the royal flypast. However, Louis didn’t seem to enjoy the impressive display quite so much as the adults…
Instead, after initially waving, the Prince was later pictured with his hands held tightly over his ears and his mouth open in an exclamation, appearing to find the volume of the jets a little much.
In contrast, the Queen, who’s witnessed many a flypast over her momentous 70 year reign, beamed as she looked on from the balcony beside her great-grandson. However, whilst Louis might’ve been the only one of his siblings to be a little overwhelmed by the noise of the jets at Trooping the Colour, his reaction mirrors a similar moment from another iconic royal day.
Back in 2011, one of the bridesmaids at his parents' wedding, Grace van Cutsem, appeared to be trying to lessen the noise of her surroundings too.
Prince William and Kate Middleton married at Westminster Abbey that April and have recently celebrated their 11th wedding anniversary. Watched by millions of people across the world, the couple returned to Buckingham Palace after the ceremony, where the Queen hosted a reception for them and their guests.
They had four bridesmaids - William’s cousin Lady Louise Windsor, Duchess Camilla’s granddaughter Eliza Lopes, the late Princess Margaret’s granddaughter Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones and Grace van Cutsem. Grace is William’s goddaughter and the daughter of his friend Hugh van Cutsem.
During their appearance on the balcony where William and Kate's iconic two kisses took place, Grace was photographed with her hands over her ears. Though it’s not been confirmed exactly why Grace covered her ears, some reports have suggested that it could’ve been that the noise of the exhilarated watching crowds was simply too much for the then-three-year-old.
Either way, her reaction on the balcony was certainly similar to Louis’ response over a decade later and both will likely be remembered by sympathetic fans for many years to come.
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