Inside the life of the 'secret weapon of the Royal Family' ahead of her 10th birthday - and why she 'rules the roost' at Adelaide Cottage
Royal experts have offered the public a sneak peek inside the life of the Royal Family 's 'secret weapon' as she approaches her 10th birthday tomorrow.
Insiders revealed how Princess Charlotte, the second child of the Prince and Princess of Wales, is the 'boss of the family' and isn't afraid to speak her mind.
With her cheeky yet sassy personality, the young princess has often been seen keeping her brothers in line, playfully cringing at her parents' public displays of affection, and stylishly coordinating outfits with her most fashionable relatives.
Royal historian Marlene Koenig told US Weekly 'Charlotte rules the roost' at Adelaide Cottage, adding '[Kate] describes Charlotte as "independent and the one in charge."'
It comes after last year her father Prince William revealed how the straight-talking youngster made him shave off his beard when she disapproved.
According to the prince, his daughter burst into 'floods of tears' after seeing his new look for the first time.
And, in June 2024, Charlotte appeared to help her mother, the Princess of Wales, keep her younger brother in check during Trooping the Colour.
Louis, 7, appeared bored during the long, formal event and was seen scrunching his face, playing with curtains and yawning.
With her cheeky yet sassy personality, the young princess has often been seen keeping her brothers in line, playfully cringing at her parents' public displays of affection, and stylishly coordinating outfits with her most fashionable relatives
Pictured: Britain's Princess Charlotte of Wales (R) wipes her eyes as she and her brother Britain's Prince Louis of Wales (C) eat marshmallow biscuits as they take part in the Big Help Out, during a visit to the 3rd Upton Scouts Hut in Slough, west of London on May 8, 2023
But the youngster perked up when the bagpipes started playing during the Horse Guard Parade, shaking his hips in time to the music from the balcony of the Major General's Office.
According to lip reader Nicola Hickling, the princess, nine, scolded her dancing brother, and said: 'You have to stop doing that. Watch the parade', to which he bluntly replied: 'I won't'.
Koenig predicts the princess will be carrying out royal engagements when she turns 18 and believes she will be 'the secret weapon for the royal family.'
But, she also stressed how Charlotte's parents won't rush her into her royal duties before she's ready and want to let her enjoy being a child for as long as possible.
Beneath the grandeur and formalities Princess Charlotte and her siblings, Prince George, 11, and Prince Louis, 7, are just like other children.
Whether it's eating pizza, blowing raspberries or getting animated over the football, the trio are as 'normal' as their gilded circumstances will allow.
In 2023 Prince George , Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis delighted royal fans when they made a surprise appearance at the Big Help Out event in Slough.
Pippa Middleton and Princess Charlotte of Wales court-side of Centre Court during the men's final on day fourteen of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 14, 2024
The Prince and Princess of Wales surprised volunteers at a local Scouts headquarters when they arrived with their children in tow.
Following on from the Coronation concert on May 7, the family spent hours renovating some Scouts huts for local members to use.
Afterwards, clips from the family's day out were posted on social media - and fans were in awe of how George, Charlotte and Louis seemed like any other 'normal kids' their age.
The Daily Mail's royal editor Rebecca English accompanied the family to the Scouts base and shared a heartwarming clip of Prince Louis, five, happily digging into a smore.
As the Princess of Wales assembled Louis' snack for him, Princess Charlotte was seen enjoying hers in the background.
However, eagle-eyed royal fans noticed that Princess Charlotte accidentally dropped some of her biscuit on the grass behind her brother.
Koenig predicts the princess will be carrying out royal engagements when she turns 18 and believes she will be 'the secret weapon for the royal family.' But she also stressed how Charlotte's parents won't rush her into her royal duties before she's ready
The video - which has amassed over 68,000 views - shows the couple's second child crouching down to grab the piece she had dropped.
As she watched her little brother being given his sweet treat, Charlotte then discreetly popped the biscuit in her mouth.
Although Louis' animated reaction to his smore was the focus of the clip, royal fans pointed out how Charlotte had followed the 'five second rule' in the comments.
One replied: '[He]s gorgeous but did anyone notice what his sister did in the background?
'When she bit her biscuit a piece fell on the grass, she quickly picked it up. After a couple of seconds, it went in her mouth. Love! Kids are all the same.'
Another added: 'Yes, demonstrating that even royal children follow the five second rule!'
'Yes I did,' a third wrote. '[They're] just normal kids like others.'
What's more, another royal fan captured footage of Kate and William's three children piling into a black 4x4 to head home after the engagement had ended.
The adorable seven-second clip shows Charlotte rushing to open the door first to bag a window seat.
Following close behind her, Prince Louis is seen still happily tucking into some marshmallows.
Allowing his siblings to get in first, Prince George, nine, then takes a step back so he can rearrange his hair - using the car window as a mirror.
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Daily Mail
37 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Kate and Charlotte beam as the royals arrive for Trooping the Colour in glorious sunshine with Louis and George - and a barely recognisable Prince William!
Kate and Princess Charlotte shared a sweet moment as they beamed together at today's Trooping the Colour ceremony as the royal family and fans unite to mark the King's birthday. As they arrived at Buckingham Palace, William and Kate sat in the back of a car with little Prince Louis, seven - while Princess Charlotte, 10 and Prince George, 11 sat together in front. Charlotte was seen waving at the crowds as the car passed, while Kate and William smiled fondly. They were followed by the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Edward and Sophie, who arrived together in a car, without either of their children - Lady Louise, 21 and James, 17. As the parade got underway from Buckingham Palace, the King and Queen were seen waving and smiling as they proceeded down the Mall in an open-top carriage before the national anthem was played as they made their way to the Horse Guards Palace. While Prince William rode on horseback and looked almost unrecognisable, Kate sat in a carriage with their three children and smiled widely as she shared a sweet moment with Princess Charlotte. Prince George and Prince Louis wore matching suits and ties and sat opposite. Thousands of royal fans lined the Mall and erupted into cheers and applause as the royal family passed by. Prince Wales was amongst many royals, soldiers and carriage drivers who wore black armbands in remembrance of those killed in the Air India plane crash on Thursday. The monarch requested a minute's silence to be held during the ceremony in tribute to the 241 passengers and crew killed when a Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for Gatwick Airport came down on Thursday in the Indian city of Ahmedabad. The Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte are seen smiling broadly as they took part in the Trooping the Colour ceremony on Saturday Some 53 Brits were onboard the doomed flight - all but one are believed to have been killed, along with dozens on the ground bringing the final death toll to at least 270. Black armbands were worn by the head of state and senior royals wearing military uniform riding in the ceremony to mark the King's official birthday. On horseback and wearing the armbands were the Prince of Wales, Colonel of the Welsh Guards, the Princess Royal, Colonel Blues and Royals, and the Duke of Edinburgh, Colonel Scots Guards. King Charles, who is receiving ongoing cancer treatment, rode in a carriage as he did last year with his wife Queen Camilla. The Queen wore a white silk crepe dress with silver embroidery by Anna Valentine with a hat by Philip Treacy and a Grenadier Guards brooch. Fans gathered early on the Mall on Saturday and braved the rain while hoping to catch a glimpse of the royal family. A small group of protesters carrying placards reading 'Not my King' was also in attendance. The procession was led on Saturday by a carriage carrying the Duchess of Edinburgh and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, ahead of a second in which the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will travel. The Prince of Wales, Princess Royal and the Duke of Edinburgh followed behind on horseback. The Princess of Wales bears a radiant smile as she accompanies her children during the parade today The King waves to protesters against the monarchy who lined a section of the Mall on Saturday Members of the Household Cavalry are some of the more than 1,400 soldiers taking part today Prince George of Wales and Prince Louis of Wales travel by carriage during Trooping The Colour The Princess of Wales and her children wore coordinating outfits as they took part in the public spectacle today King Charles III salutes his soldiers at the parade ground during the Trooping the Colour Prime Minsiter Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria watch the Trooping the Colour parade The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester leave Buckingham Palace ahead of Trooping the Colour ceremony in central London Carriages leave Buckingham Palace during the Trooping of the Colour parade The Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children have been spotted arriving at Buckingham Palace ahead of today's Trooping the Colour ceremony to mark the King's birthday Prince Louis didn't look thrilled to be joining today's celebrations, which take place every year to mark the monarch's birthday King Charles and Queen Camilla arrive at Buckingham Palace moments before the parade began The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh arrive at Buckingham Palace ahead of the Trooping the Colour ceremony in central London Read More Prince Louis makes sure all eyes are on him during RAF flypast... until big brother George steps in! It is the first time Princess Anne has ridden in public since she suffered a head injury, thought to be caused by a horse, at her home last year. The Princess of Wales travelled down the Mall in an Ascot Landau seated beside her daughter Princess Charlotte, while Prince George and Prince Louis sat opposite. King Charles III and Queen Camilla passed the royal fans in their own carriage before the King inspects his troops. After arriving at the parade ground, Kate took her place next to the King and Queen on the dais, in her role as Colonel of the Irish Guards - a symbolic position and one she was unable to take up last year because she was receiving cancer treatment, and instead watched the ceremony with her children. A minute's silence was then held to remember all the victims of this week's Air India disaster. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said Charles requested amendments to the Trooping the Colour programme 'as a mark of respect for the lives lost, the families in mourning and all the communities affected by this awful tragedy'. The King issued a written message soon after the plane crash, saying he was 'desperately shocked by the terrible events' and expressed his 'deepest possible sympathy'. Posting on social media ahead of the ceremony this morning, the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: 'Sending my best wishes to His Majesty The King today at Trooping the Colour. God Save The King.' The occasion transforms the Mall as crowds line up the streets waving flags as 1400 soldiers parade alongside 200 horses and 400 musicians from Horse Guard's Parade to Buckingham Palace. Prince George was dressed in a navy blue suit and red tie for today's event Princess Anne salutes as she rides on horseback during the procession Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh and Timothy Laurence wave during Trooping The Colour 2025 The Duchess of Edinburgh is pictured during today's Trooping the Colour as she rode in an open-top carriage Princess Anne arrives at Buckingham Palace on Saturday before participating in Trooping the Colour William and Kate smile at those gathered along the Mall as they arrived at Buckingham Palace for the Trooping the Colour Fans of the royal family lined the Mall from early on Saturday morning to watch the parade A group of women dressed in Union Jacks take their place on the Mall hoping to see the royals Officers of the Grenadier Guards mounted on horses ride along the Mall as they take part in the Trooping the Color in London Members of the King's Guard take part in the Trooping the Colour parade which honours Britain's King Charles on his official birthday Members of the King's guards stand to attention during the Trooping the Colour Members of the Coldstream Guards during the Trooping the Colour ceremony at Horse Guards Parade, central London, on June 14 Final preparations are made for the annual ceremony, to celebrate the monarch's birthday, on Saturday Read More Charlotte bears striking resemblance to Kate as they match their Trooping the Colour ensembles After the Trooping ceremony is over, the Royal Family will make their group appearance on the Palace balcony before the day concludes with a flypast. As a former polo player and one of the Royal Family's most accomplished equestrians, King Charles rode for years in the parade - both for his mother's official birthday celebrations and then for his own. But he did not appear on horseback at the event this weekend and instead travelled in a carriage for the procession from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade and back. Trooping the Colour is a centuries-old tradition that marks the Sovereign's official birthday. It dates back to the 17th century and is rooted in battlefield custom, when regimental flags, or 'colours,' were trooped in front of soldiers to ensure they could be recognised amid the smoke of combat. Last week a full-dress rehearsal, known as The Colonel's Review, took place serving as the final run-through before the King's official celebration. This year, the honour of trooping the Colour falls to the Coldstream Guards, who will officially present their regimental flag, known as the Colour, to King Charles. Final preparations for the Trooping the Colour took place on Saturday morning, including preparing the Buckingham Palace balcony for the royals' appearance Anti-monarchy protesters stand along the route of the parade holding signs reading 'Not my King' Hundreds of people lined the streets of the Mall ahead of today's ceremony Members of the Foot Guards outside Buckingham Palace ahead of Trooping the Colour ceremony on Saturday Following the Trooping ceremony, all eyes will be on the royal balcony to see who King Charles invites to wave to the crowds. King Charles and Queen Camilla will be front and centre on the balcony to watch the Red Arrows flypast, but it expected a host of senior royals will be alongside them. Prince William is joined by the Princess of Wales and their children, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, seven. Princess Anne will feature with her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence. Prince Edward - who like Anne will be fresh from his part in the procession - is expected on the balcony with his wife Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh. They are likely to be joined by their daughter Lady Louise, 21. Their son James, the Earl of Wessex, 17, did not make an appearance last year and may not attend the ceremony this time around either. Despite his increasing frailty, the staunchly devoted Duke of Kent, 89, will likely also be among the royals on the balcony. Also expected is the hard-working Duke of Gloucester, 80, and his 78-year-old wife Birgitte, the Duchess. A minute's silence is expected to be observed by the royals and the crowd after the deaths of 52 Brits in a plane crash in India on Thursday. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, from Leicester, managed to stagger away from the disaster that killed at least 270 people including everyone else on the doomed plane. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, sole survivor of the Air India flight 171 crash, at a hospital in Ahmedabad. He says the plane's lights flickered and it felt 'stuck' and unable to ascend Chunks of the plane's fuselage and tail were seen protruding from a demolished building The monarch has requested a minute's silence in tribute to the 241 passengers and crew killed when a Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for Gatwick Airport came down on Thursday in the Indian city of Ahmedabad Remnants of the fuselage and the landing gear were seen dangling through a gaping hole in the side of what appeared to be a canteen, with half-finished plates of food clearly visible on benches inside CCTV footage captured the moment the plane exploded into a fireball He is miraculously the only survivor and also lost his brother Ajay in the crash. He has been describing how it felt like the Boeing 787 Dreamliner was 'stuck in the air' and 'came to a standstill' rather than climbing after take off. As expected, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle are not attending this year's celebrations. Having chosen to walk away from being working royals, they have not been present at Trooping the Colour since 2019. The other notable absentee will be Prince Andrew, who remains exiled from public royal events amid the fallout from his relationship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and the claims made by late accuser Virginia Giuffre. Andrew's daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie are not expected to be there either amid Charles' desire for a slimmed-down monarchy and to keep the focus on working royals. Members of the royal family are expected to watch the flypast - including the RAF Red Arrows and a range of planes and helicopters - from the balcony. In previous years it has been a moment where the royal children shine - with little Prince Louis delighting fans last year as pretended to fly one of the planes, appearing to screw up his face as he mimicked the engine's deafening noise. The route for the flypast has not been officially confirmed, but the Military Air Shows has revealed an air restrictions map which shows the expected official route. Proposed restrictions are in the vicinity of the North Sea, East Anglia, Essex and London. Its expected the flypast will go over Buckingham Palace at 1pm. Held traditionally on the second Saturday in June, regardless of the Sovereign's actual date of birth, the celebrations have marked the monarch's official birthday since the mid-1700s. Queen Elizabeth attended all but two of her Trooping the Colours, missing it in 1955 when a national rail strike resulted in the event being cancelled and in 2020 due to lockdown restrictions. In 2017, Trooping was held a few days days after the Grenfell Tower blaze and the loss of life was marked by a minute's silence, a decision taken by Queen Elizabeth II. The parade is open to members of the public through an online ballot with ticketing ranging from £10 to £30 and is broadcast live on the BBC. What is Trooping the Colour? The Trooping of the Colour has marked the official birthday of the British Sovereign for more than 260 years. Over 1400 parading soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians come together each June in a great display of military precision, horsemanship and fanfare to mark the Sovereign's official birthday. The streets are lined with crowds waving flags as the parade moves from Buckingham Palace and down The Mall to Horse Guard's Parade, alongside Members of the Royal Family on horseback and in carriages. The display closes with an RAF fly-past, watched by Members of the Royal Family from Buckingham Palace balcony. Once the Sovereign has arrived at Horse Guard's Parade in Whitehall, they are greeted by a Royal salute and carry out an inspection of the troops, who are fully trained and operational soldiers wearing the ceremonial uniform of red tunics and bearskin hats. After the military bands have performed, the escorted Regimental Colour, or flag, is processed down the ranks of soldiers. Over one hundred words of command are used by the Officer in Command of the Parade to direct the several hundred soldiers. Once the Foot Guards have marched past the Sovereign, they ride back to Buckingham Palace at the head of the soldiers, before taking the salute again at the Palace from a dais. The Sovereign is then joined by other Members of the Royal Family on the balcony at Buckingham Palace to watch a fly-past by the Royal Air Force. A 41-gun salute is also fired in Green Park to mark the occasion. Source:
South Wales Guardian
38 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Royal decorum: George calms exuberant brother Louis during Trooping flypast
George, 11, Louis, seven, and their sister Charlotte, 10, watched a flypast of military aircraft from the balcony of Buckingham Palace on Saturday with their grandfather, the King, the Queen, and their parents the Prince and Princess of Wales. Louis, wearing a red tie and dark suit that matched his brother's, began enthusiastically waving at the crowd, drawing big cheers from those standing in the Mall to watch the Red Arrows fly overhead. He briefly stopped to turn around and address his father, then continued to wave and grin until George gently nudged him to stop by touching his arm. But the youngest prince could not resist giving the crowd one last wave as his family retreated into Buckingham Palace after the flypast ended. The children had ridden to Horse Guards Parade with their mother and sister in a carriage earlier in the day to watch the troops celebrating the King's official birthday. Boisterous Louis has become known for entertaining royal fans with his reactions during royal events. During VE Day celebrations earlier this year, the young prince appeared to playfully imitate George as the siblings watched the military procession from the Queen Victoria Memorial. Louis seemed to copy the way his brother flicked his hair, then smoothed down his own in an exaggerated fashion. He similarly stole the limelight at last year's Trooping the Colour ceremony, yawning and later dancing during the quick march of the Scots Guards to Highland Laddie. During the 2023 Trooping the Colour parade, Louis, then aged five, ostensibly held his nose to possibly ward off the smell of horse manure from the many military mounts. He was also seen yawning and fidgeting during the service for his grandfather's coronation at Westminster Abbey in May 2023. This year marks the third Trooping the Colour parade of Charles' reign. The King requested that members of the royal family in uniform wear black armbands in tribute to the 241 passengers and crew killed on Thursday when an Air India plane bound for Gatwick crashed in Ahmedabad. The colour – regimental flag – being trooped this year is the King's Colour of Number 7 Company Coldstream Guards, also known as the sovereign's bodyguard and which is celebrating its 375th anniversary this year.
Edinburgh Live
39 minutes ago
- Edinburgh Live
Kate Middleton issues two-word order to Prince Louis as he nearly breaks royal rule
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Kate Middleton was forced to issue a stern order to Prince Louis on the royal balcony, according to a lip reader. Senior royals stepped out in front of Buckingham Palace to greet the crowds this afternoon. Thousands had gathered on the Mall to celebrate Trooping the Colour – King Charles' official birthday. The Duchess of Cambridge was joined by her husband Prince William and three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Louis. Charles and Queen Camilla were also seen waving to the crowds while Princess Anne and Sophie Wessex were also in attendance. But, as usual, seven-year-old Louis stole the show, flashing his toothless smile to the crowd and looking in awe at the planes soaring overheard. As the flypast came to a close and the national anthem started playing, cameras caught Kate seemingly reminding Louis of his duty. According to lip reader Jeremy Freeman, she told him: "National anthem, Louis stand." It's customary for all royals beneath King Charles as well as members of the public to stand when the national anthem is played. Next to her, William was seen engaging in conversation with his dad Charles. Jeremy says a jubilant William told him: "Oh my word, what a day." The King replied: "Great theatre." It wasn't the only eye-opening conversation picked up by Jeremy during the iconic event in London. As they made their way from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards parade this morning, Charles and Camilla were seen in a heated discussion. Lip reading expert Jeremy Freeman provided an intriguing interpretation of Charles' words. The King is said to have begun with: "Absolutely crazy, disgrace, absolutely extraordinary." While Jeremy couldn't decipher the entire conversation, he did catch the King saying "on my way out", followed by: "Meanwhile, not like me. That's the difference between me and him." It's not clear who the "him" was in the conversation, although fellow lip reader Nicola Hickling claimed to the Express that the monarch had earlier been discussing Prince Harry. This year's Trooping the Colour broke from tradition following the devastating Air India plane crash this week, where 241 people were killed. At the request of King Charles, Royal Family members wore black armbands as a mark of respect. There was also a one-minute silence in memory of all those who lost their lives. More than a thousand British Army personnel marched in full regalia, a testament to the nation's military heritage. At the heart of the ceremony was the "Colour", the regimental standard paraded before the troops. The practice harks back to its vital role as a battlefield beacon. Charles maintained the long-standing custom of reviewing the soldiers, a ceremonial duty steeped in history.
