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Is Prince Louis following in Prince Harry's comedic footsteps? The young royal shares a sense of humour with the Duke of Sussex and the late Queen
When it comes to brotherly banter, it seems Prince Louis is following in the footsteps of his uncle, Prince Harry.
Harry has long held the reputation for being the 'resident joker' of the Royal Family.
Before he stepped down as a working royal and moved to California, the Duke of Sussex would go to great lengths to lighten the mood at official events.
While Princes Harry and William are rarely seen laughing together these days, they once shared a close bond, particularly after losing their mother, Princess Diana, when they were just 12 and 15 years old.
And like any brothers, Harry and William would taunt and tease each other, often to the amusement of the world's press.
In Channel 5 's Lipreading the Royals: The Secret Conversations, forensic lip reader Khalil Anwar commented on a previously unheard exchange between William and Harry at their father's wedding to Camilla.
Khalil said that William opens the dialogue by saying his 'hair is a right mess' to which Harry responds 'woah!'
He reportedly said: 'Woah, it's gone like that!' while gesturing outwards and laughing at William.
Khalil added that Harry then downplayed his reaction and said, 'no it's ok, it's alright'.
William, who was later crowned the world's sexiest bad man for two consecutive years, apparently responded to Harry with a cheeky smile and said 'don't'.
The lipreading expert said: 'We see the brotherly nature of their relationship here.
'They do have the normal banter that all brothers do have and they're allowed to have the odd dig and poke at each other.'
Royal historian Dr Tessa Dunlop added: 'William with hair, I mean now that's a bit of a novelty.
'I think one of the reasons it's a bit wayward is because it's clearly falling out, isn't it? It's a bit thin.
'He's realising he's having a bad hair day and Harry's loving it.'
A similar interaction between Princes Louis and George was caught on camera earlier this year at VE Day celebrations.
Prince Louis, seven, was pictured chatting with Prince George, 12, at Buckingham Palace.
While the pair sat next to each other, Louis was spotted catching a glimpse of his brother gently brushing the hair from in front of his face.
Seconds later, his younger brother copied him - but added a little of his trademark cheeky flair to the movement as he swished his hair to the side while pulling an over-exaggerated facial expression.
It's unclear whether the young royal was looking up to his elder brother in a bid to be just like him, or just teasing George - but royal fans were left in stitches either way.
This is not the first time Louis's similarities to his uncle have been pointed out.
In the 1980s, a young Harry was often photographed sticking his tongue out at events, just as Louis is often seen stealing the show with his faces.
At just 15 months old, Louis's personality was already shining through when he stole Kate's sunglasses and delighted the crowds by smiling, laughing and toddling off to chase horses.
Like Louis, the late Queen was known for her sense of humour and well-timed delivery, keeping her cards close to her chest and choosing her words wisely.
At just 15 months old, Louis's personality was already shining through when he stole Kate's sunglasses and delighted the crowds by smiling, laughing and toddling off to chase horses in July 2019
Louis was photographed sticking his tongue out at his mother, Kate, while they attended the Platinum Pageant on The Mall on June 5, 2022
It seems Louis, who is pictured pulling a funny face, is taking the 'family joker' crown from Harry
One of the most amusing photos of the two royals together came from June 2022 when Louis stole the show during the RAF flypast to mark Her Majesty's 70 years on the throne.
He saluted the planes and then screamed and put his hands over his ears as they flew over making an incredible noise. Usually a stickler for good behaviour, the Queen was highly amused by her adorable great grandson.
The Queen was also known as a top-class mimic and loved to impersonate people, which is clearly a trait Louis has taken on.
Royal author Ingrid Seward wrote in her 2023 book, My Mother And I: 'The Queen's stern look, inherited from her grandmother Queen Mary, belies the wonderful sense of humour we got to see more and more as she got older.
'The Queen could be extremely funny, in a slightly mocking way.
'She was also a first-class mimic, particularly of politicians, but never to anyone's face. She could only laugh or state her opinions in private, and some of them were pretty forceful.'
Even the Queen's dressmaker, Angela Kelly, was reportedly blown away by the Queen's ability to copy her scouse accent.
Usually a stickler for good behaviour, the Queen was highly amused by her adorable great-grandson at Trooping the Colour in 2022
Royal author Ingrid Seward wrote in her 2023 book, My Mother And I: 'The Queen could be extremely funny, in a slightly mocking way'
Seward went as far to suggest that the Queen's sense of humour was the secret to her and Philip's long and happy marriage.
'I think the secret is they laugh together. I think the Queen is the comedian,' she said.
For many, Louis's cheeky antics are the highlight of royal events, providing light relief and a much needed touch of reality in formal situations.
At just seven years old, his timing is impeccable and would certainly give the late Queen a run for her money.
ELIZABETH II'S BEST ROYAL GAGS
TEA WITH PADDINGTON BEAR
In the final months of her life, Her Majesty delighted audiences at the televised BBC's Platinum Party at the Palace after kicking off the festivities with an appearance alongside the fictional character Paddington Bear - in which they both enjoyed a chaotic cream tea at 'Buckingham Palace '.
Paddington and the Queen were pictured sat opposite each other in ornate chair at a table, laid for afternoon tea, covered with a white linen cloth in an opulent room.
Accident-prone Paddington was shown causing mayhem by accidentally depriving the understanding sovereign of another cup of tea and spraying cream from a chocolate éclair over a Palace Footman.
The Queen's secret sketch was the result of months of planning, and saw the duffle-coat wearing bear show the monarch how he ensured he always had his favourite treat on him just in case, lifting up his red hat to reveal his snack.
Her Majesty responded by revealing 'So do I' before opening her bag and declaring 'I keep mine in here' to show her very own ready-made supply of the bread and marmalade.
The bear, from deepest darkest Peru, congratulated the Queen on her reign of 70 years, saying: 'Happy Jubilee Ma'am. And thank you. For everything.' The modest Queen replied: 'That's very kind.'
Filmed at Windsor Castle, the Queen spent around half a day filming the secretly pre-recorded, humorous two-and-a-half-minute sequence, according to The Telegraph, and the comic sketch was a surprise even to some of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
ELIZABETH 007
The Queen showed the world she was still full of surprises in 2012 when she agreed to take part in a comedy stint to open the London Olympics.
A clip played during the ceremony showed the Queen, then 86 years old, being picked up at Buckingham Palace by Daniel Craig, playing James Bond, and then being 'parachuted' into the stadium for the opening ceremony.
The recorded sequence opened at Buckingham Palace, where a tuxedo-wearing Craig as 007 was presented to the Queen by her personal footman as she was writing a letter and training her corgis Monty, Willow and Holly to roll over.
After greeting the fictitious spy with an 'Evening, Mr Bond,' the Queen, wearing a glitzy pink dress, was escorted out of the Palace onto a helicopter by Craig.
At the time, Danny Boyle, who directed the short clip, said: 'The Queen made herself more accessible than ever before.'
It was her first ever film role, and it was a comedy hit, proving the elderly Monarch had a great sense of humour.
To this day the clip, which is available on YouTube, has been watched more than 51 million times across the globe.
QUEEN OF ONE-LINERS
At the 2021 G7 Summit in Cornwall, the 95-year-old was dancing circles around World leaders, showcasing her wit and her good humour.
As she posed for pictures with the likes of Boris Johnson, US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Monarch was heard saying: 'Are you supposed to be looking as if you're enjoying yourselves?' which provoked laughter around her.
It was her first major public event together since the funeral of Prince Philip, the Queen's husband of more than seven decades, which made the joke even more poignant.
'THIS IS MORE UNUSUAL'
Also during the Cornwall G7, the Queen showed she had lost nothing of her panache when cutting a cake with a ceremonial sword with her daughter-in-law the Duchess of Cornwall and her grandson Prince William's wife Kate Middleton.
She had been presented with a giant cake in Cornwall to celebrate her official birthday and was given the sword to cut it.
