Cheeky antics, major meltdowns, and a penchant for sticking out their
tongues. The royal children frequently break the rules, but who can blame them?
While most royals greet members of the public with a wave or a smile,
younger royals are a little more creative. During an appearance at The King's Cup Regatta in 2019,
Princess Charlotte opted to say hello to her fans by poking her tongue out at them. Ignoring
mom Kate Middleton's instructions to wave at the crowd, the sassy 4-year-old definitely
appeared to be in a playful mood. Although Kate initially laughed at her daughter's
silly gesture, the princess quickly moved her away from public view shortly after.
This incident wasn't the first time Princess Charlotte had broken royal protocol, either.
While attending Prince Louis's christening in 2018, a then-three-year-old Princess Charlotte
told photographers they weren't invited to the afterparty. She may be third in
line to the British throne, but Charlotte already displays the attitude of a queen.
"It's hard to explain to a 5 and a 6, nearly 7-year-old, what's going on."
Prince Harry has never been a big fan of royal protocol. Once known
as a "party boy," he has been caught breaking the rules numerous times. It's clear that the
Duke of Sussex has quite the rebellious streak, and that's been the case since
he was a child. As a 5-year-old pageboy at his uncle Charles Spencer's wedding,
Harry's cheeky expressions caught the public's attention. In September 1989, he was spotted
poking his tongue out while standing between his cousins, Elenor and Alexander Fellowes,
who were also part of the bridal party. Discussing his reputation, Prince Harry told People,
"I always try and keep that. I think that the cheekiness is something that keeps you alive."
Of course, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are famous for throwing out
the royal rulebook. In January 2020, the couple announced that they would
be stepping down from their roles as senior members of the royal family.
They have since started a new life in California with their two children.
Prince George served as a pageboy at his aunt Pippa Middleton's wedding to billionaire hedge
fund manager James Matthews in May 2017. Dressed in a long-sleeve white shirt with
gold silk breeches, George appeared to be well-behaved during the one-hour-long
church ceremony. However, he managed to get into mischief when it was time to leave the church.
At one point, Prince George witnessed his 2-year-old sister, Princess Charlotte,
stepping on the train of Pippa's designer wedding dress. George apparently thought
this looked fun and decided to join in. However, when his mom, Kate Middleton,
spotted the naughty antics, the future king received a few stern words. George reacted
to his mom's discipline by throwing a tantrum and was pictured looking grouchy outside the church.
Luckily, by the time they left the church premises, the prince looked a lot chirpier.
It's not just the British royal children who accidentally break protocol every
once in a while. A young royal from Norway also caught the internet's
attention for his charming and quirky personality. Prince Sverre Magnus,
who is third in line for the Norwegian throne, likes to have a little fun during formal events.
During an official balcony photoshoot celebrating his grandmother Queen Sonja's 80th birthday,
the 11-year-old prince was shoved by his 12-year-old cousin, Leah Isadora. However,
the shove didn't seem to bother Sverre, who then dabbed and started pulling funny faces.
While his family posed more traditionally, Sverre seemed to enjoy amusing the crowd.
Traveling with toddlers can be challenging, even for the royal family. In 2017, Prince William
and Kate Middleton bravely took their two little children on a jam-packed five-day tour of Poland
and Germany. Unfortunately, on the last day of the tour, a 2-year-old Princess Charlotte threw
a tantrum on the tarmac in Germany right before departing home to England. Although her family
enjoyed a peek inside a helicopter at Hamburg airport, Charlotte was apparently not a fan.
While she looked adorable in a pink floral dress and red shoes,
the teary-eyed Charlotte stomped her feet and threw herself to the ground. Kate showed
off her supermom skills when she picked Charlotte off the floor and immediately
calmed her down with some soothing words. A few moments later, William helped Charlotte
step onto the plane as the family made their way home after a very hectic family tour.
Prince George is a big fan of helicopters, but he's not a fan of how noisy the aircraft can
be. When he attended England's Royal International Air Tattoo in 2016,
the young royal threw a tantrum on the tarmac just before boarding a helicopter
with his mom and dad. Although the exact cause of his frustration remains unknown,
George was given a blue pair of noise-canceling headphones, which seemed to solve the problem.
Meanwhile, Kate handled the situation like a pro by giving her toddler a comforting hug.
The duchess was then able to get two-year-old George onto the helicopter. Prince William,
who trained as a search and rescue pilot,
gave George a tour of the cockpit, which he seemingly enjoyed quite a lot.
"I love my children the same way any father does,
and I hope George loves me the same way any son does his father."
Very few people can get away with meeting the President of the United States in a bathrobe, but
Prince George is one of those people. In 2016, at just two years old, the future king made headlines
when he wore his pajamas, bathrobe, and slippers to greet Barack and Michelle Obama. The iconic
moment made headlines and proved that nothing gets between George and his bedtime routine.
At the time, a spokesperson for Prince William and Kate Middleton revealed that
George stayed up past his usual bedtime for the special meeting. Meanwhile,
a statement released by the White House said,
"[Prince George was] smartly attired for bedtime in a light-colored robe and pajama pants."
The Obamas gave George a rocking horse as a gift, which he played with immediately.
Within minutes of the photos of his meeting with the Obamas being released,
Prince George's adorable dressing gown sold out, and it wasn't back in stock until 2021.
Another piece of protocol generally followed by royalty is that all bridal parties are expected
to include a crop of children. Young royals are given special wedding duties and are responsible
for scattering petals around the bride and groom, as noted by Harper's Bazaar. Although
this is a sweet tradition, royal children often get bored at long wedding ceremonies,
and boredom can lead to mischief, as it did when Prince William was a pageboy for his uncle.
In 1986, during Prince Andrew's wedding to Sarah Ferguson, Willam was photographed in
a charming sailor ensemble, yawning, blowing raspberries, and talking to his cousins in
the church. Throughout the day, William looked exceedingly bored, even when standing with the
rest of the royal family. Prince William's uncle, Earl Spencer, noticed his antics and commented
on them before the bride and groom walked down the aisle. According to MyLondon, Spencer said,
"I think it's the first time Prince William's been to church,
he talks so much and is frankly so badly behaved that he doesn't usually
go to church. I think they're all rather worried about what he's going to do."
Zara and Mike Tindall's two daughters are an energetic duo who were reportedly
caught having a sibling dispute during the Platinum Pageant, as part of Queen Elizabeth
II's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022. Footage of the event shows
eight-year old Mia and three-year-old Lena annoying each other during the
ceremony. While seated on her dad's lap, Lena reportedly reached out to hit her older sister,
who was clapping her hands. Mia sought revenge and hit her younger sister back.
Before things got out of hand, Mia and Lena's dad reportedly told them off for misbehaving.
The two sisters were on their best behavior moments later, and they apparently both enjoyed
seeing their great-grandmother's final Jubilee appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
During an appearance on "The Good, The Bad & The Rugby" podcast, Mike Tindall explained,
"It's tough for them. They're all young, they sat there from 2 to 5 pm, it's a long time."
"My two are always mischievous, so it was trying to keep a lid on."
The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall's youngest child, Prince Louis, is arguably the cheekiest of their
three children. For instance, he was pictured pulling faces and bouncing around at the Platinum
Pageant, which was part of Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022.
Louis struggled to endure the lengthy event, so he entertained himself by annoying his older sister,
hugging family members, and making over-the-top gestures to the crowd. Kate managed to keep
her cool the entire time, but Louis' older sister Princess Charlotte was less forgiving.
"Help!"
When Louis started wildly waving his arms around to greet the crowd, Charlotte placed a firm hand
on his left shoulder, and she appeared to tell him to stop. A body language expert praised Kate
for her effective parenting style when dealing with the energetic Louis, telling Marie Claire,
"As Kate interacted with Louis, you'll notice that she positions her face very close to him,
she also bends her head to reduce her height while interacting with him — such a gesture
is one of a nurturing nature; it allows her to build a deep rapport with her son."
Louis also found himself becoming a social media sensation thanks to his antics at Trooping the
Colour in June 2022. The young royal stole the show when he was spotted peering cheekily out of
the palace windows before the royal family made their formal appearance. When it was
time for the royals to stand out on the balcony, Louis stood right next to his great-grandmother,
the queen, which meant he was the focus of all the cameras.
During the event, Louis was seen waving at onlookers, and saluting the air. However,
when the Royal Air Force planes flew past, Louis started to look annoyed and covered
his ears. After being comforted by his mom, Kate Middleton, the little prince started
getting up to mischief once again. One of the highlights of Trooping the Colour was
watching the adorable three-year-old pulling funny faces, which amused both the queen and the crowd.