It was not initially made clear whether royal fans would get to see Prince Louis at King Charles’s coronation or not.
The 5-year-old prince was not present during Queen Elizabeth’s funeral but stole hearts after throwing apparent tantrums on the Buckingham Palace balcony during the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee last year.
In the end, Louis joined his siblings for the coronation last weekend as he traveled with his sister, Princess Charlotte, and parents, Prince William and Kate Middleton, in the procession to and from Westminster Abbey. He behaved well during the entire ceremony, though he was said to have been his mother’s “biggest worry” for the historic day.
By all accounts, the Royal Family didn’t take any time off after coronation weekend. On Monday, William, Kate, George, Charlotte, and Louis were reportedly all out volunteering. While speaking to well-wishers who came to see them, Kate let slip her cute nickname for her youngest son.
Though he is the youngest member of his family, and will most likely never be king, Prince Louis has become a favorite among many royal fans. The 5-year-old has proven to be a hilarious little boy – pictures of his behavior during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebration last year went viral worldwide.
Prince Louis
While on the famous Buckingham Palace balcony, Louis made goofy gestures with his hands, tried covering his mother’s mouth, and even poked his tongue out in Kate’s face. The latter action prompted the Princess of Wales to give him a serious look, only adding to the comedic nature of the scene.
Of course, what can any five-year-old be expected to do in such circumstances? Let us not forget that Louis is a child like any other, aside from the fact that he is a prince and is expected to take on many royal responsibilities as he grows up.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte attended the funeral of Queen Elizabeth last year with their parents. Louis was nowhere to be seen, with reports suggesting that he was deemed too young.
When the date for King Charles’s coronation was set, royal fans and experts instantly began speculating whether or not Louis would be in attendance. The young prince had previously been seen sitting with his grandfather during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. For Charles’s part, he would want his grandson present on the day he was crowned king. At the same time, the royals reportedly harbored concerns over Prince Louis’s ability to properly behave in Westminster Abbey.
As per sources, Prince William and Kate Middleton still hadn’t decided whether Louis was to join them as recently as last week, Ultimately, Prince Louis landed a place in royal history as he sat beside his sister in Westminster Abbey to watch his grandfather officially crowned Britain’s new monarch.
According to got PageSix, William, and Kate had a backup plan in case things turned sour. The Palace was prepared to have a nanny present to take Prince Louis away from King Charles’s coronation if he misbehaved.
Prince Louis was Kate Middleton’s “biggest worry” at the coronation
As it was, Louis behaved exceptionally during the ceremony at Westminster, though his mother had a challenging time all the same. Speaking to the Daily Star, body language expert Adrianne Carter – also known as the “Face Whisperer” – said Kate looked “nervously” at her young son during the event, “willing him to be on his best behavior.”
“]It] is probably her biggest worry during the service,” Carter said.
After the ceremony, the royals traveled in procession from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace. Louis sat with his two siblings, pushing his face against the window and waving to the crowd.
It was a long day for the young prince, and as the hours passed, Adrienne Carter noticed that he began to lose interest in what was happening.
“Louis is starting to fidget,” she commented. “We see Kate have a chat with him, looks like she’s explaining what’s going on. Charlotte also showed a bit of restlessness too but as she’s older she’s able to contain it better.”
Prince George, Prince Louis, and Princess Charlotte were all praised for their behavior over the coronation weekend. According to body language expert Judi James, Kate employed an exceptional parenting trick to keep them in line.
She told The Sun: “Kate could be seen keeping a very subtle eye on Louis during the ceremony and offering him motivational ‘reward’ touches of affection when he did something right.
Kate reveals her cute nickname for Louis
“Louis and Charlotte’s signals of total absorption and determination with the archery was exactly how William and Kate throw themselves into anything sporty or competitive during their royal appearances.”
Judi James added: “William and Kate showed they clearly understand the need for all their children to learn to enjoy royal events rather than to dread them by seeing them as a chore, bore, or challenge to get through.”
On Monday, Brits all over the country joined in what has been called “The Big Help Out,” entailing volunteering in their communities. William, Kate, George, Charlotte, and Louis also did their part as they visited a scout hut in Slough.
The children got to try several different things, including archery and digging. Louis sat patiently between Prince William’s legs as his father drove a digger; in other pictures, Charlotte was seen the painting.
Many well-wishers had turned out to see the royals, and the family of five was to eat marshmallows cooked over an open fire. It was there that Kate Middleton appeared to have revealed her nickname for Louis.
“Pop that on the fire, Lou-bugs!” Kate was heard saying.
Several royals are said to have nicknames for each other, and the children are no exception.
Many of us will always call our parents’ mom’ and ‘dad,’ ‘mother’ or ‘father.’ Within the Royal Family, though, it seems that doesn’t apply to William and Kate’s children.
“George and Charlotte now call their dad Poachy. Isn’t that sweet and so lovely?” British TV chef Ainsley Harriott previously revealed.
Royal nicknames
Like many other couples, William and Kate love to poke fun at each other. As The Sun has revealed, the Duchess has been known to call her husband “Baldy” on occasion (hardly surprising since he’s losing his hair). The British news outlet reported that the nickname was invented after Prince William had complained about Kate’s “endless mane of hair, “so ‘baldy’] has been her sharp retort.”
That said, “Baldy” is the most naughty nickname the royal couple has used. When the Prince and Princess of Wales began dating at the University, Kate called William “Big Willy.” But, of course, that’s a nickname she’s not permitted to use anymore.
For his part, Prince William has been said to call his beloved wife “Babykins”, as well as “doD;” which stands for “Duchess of Dolittle.”
“The royals are not very good at communicating with one another so this is one way around it. Nicknames are a way of taking the family tension out of things,” a royal source told The Sun.
“They can also be a rather childlike family. They love to play games and they give each other silly presents. I think it’s because they have to be so earnest in their public lives. Royals have always played in private. So William and Kate are carrying on a long-held tradition.”
The source added: “It’s done with affection usually, and there are grains of truth about what one feels about another.”
Prince Louis is far from ever becoming king, but he can expect to undertake various royal duties as he grows older. Like other siblings to monarchs have done in the past, such as Princess Anne, Louis will play a vital part in the Royal Family moving forward.
On that note, there’s at least one person worried about his future.
In an interview to promote his memoir, Spare, Harry spoke candidly regarding how he fears his niece and nephew – Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – will “end up” like him, becoming spares within the royal sphere.
Prince Louis’s future within the royal family
While that’s one way to look at it, royal expert and author Tom Quinn argues that Princess Charlotte might serve as a supporting act for George, similar to how Princess Anne has been to her brother, Charles. That would leave Prince Louis as a “double spare” without any clear role.
“Like all royal children, he will quickly become aware that he has a life of luxury, but he can’t escape it and have an ordinary life, but he’s also not the number one, he’s not going to be, or it’s very unlikely, that he’d ever become the monarch,” Tom Quinn told Express.
Meanwhile, the royal expert argues that the Palace has learned from past mistakes regarding younger royals not being given any particular role. They want to prevent Louis from becoming a “lost soul,” like Harry felt he was.
“I think because the Royal Family now is so aware of the mistakes that they’ve made in the past, especially with bringing up children, I think they will make enormous efforts to make sure that Louis doesn’t feel like a lost soul,” Quinn added.
“And I think it will be easier for Kate and William to ensure that that happens, partly because the world has changed so much, even since William and Harry were young the world’s changed a great deal.”
William and Kate want to ensure that all their children get the best possible opportunities in life. That has already started, as the children are beginning to understand more and more about their life as royals and what it entails.
“George needs to be braced and supported by his siblings”
As mentioned, Quinn argues that the Palace doesn’t want to make the same mistakes as in previous decades. However, according to royal commentator Angela Mollard, William and Kate are doing their best to ensure that Prince Louis doesn’t feel left out, with the risk being that he becomes another “offshoot like Harry.”
Mollard suggests that William and Kate used the coronation to make Louise feel included, giving him a memory that will strengthen his bonds with the monarchy. This will be important both now and in the future when his big brother, Prince George, eventually becomes king.
“Some people might say four-year-old Louis was so funny, he’s the cutest – it’s like, do you make that decision to take your kids to a posh restaurant? Yes, you do, because it’s going to be funny but more than that,” Angela Mollard told Sky Australia, as quoted by the Mirror.
“It’s going to make sure that Louis has a memory of the Coronation, so when his big brother takes on that role, he and Charlotte are there to support him,” she added.
Moreover, Mollard states that allowing Louis to attend the coronation might help avoid future rifts between the siblings.
“George needs to be braced and supported by his siblings,” Mollard continued. “The whole brand of the Waleses is very much, ‘we’re a family, we do it all together. We do not want an offshoot like Harry in the future.’”
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