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LONDON – All three of Kate Middleton and Prince William's children — 8-year-old Prince George, 7-year-old Princess Charlotte and 4-year-old Prince Louis — attended Trooping the Color at the Platinum Jubilee and really stole the show. But was that by accident?
The young royals were scene stealers, of course, during the carriage procession. The three sat alongside their mother Kate in a carriage.
This is their first time joining that part of the festivities. They usually only come out on the balcony to watch the flypast.
But what caught everybody’s eye was when the cheeky Princess Charlotte peered into the handbag of step-grandma Camilla and poked around – what was in the bag? An experienced mother knows that to keep children quiet and behaving there is only one remedy: the lure of candy — promised after behaving, of course.
Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Prince Louis ride in a carriage during the Trooping the Color parade in celebration of Britain's Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee in London June 2, 2022. (Reuters/Phil Noble)
This did the trick. Charlotte promptly sat down and played along with the hard promise that her favorite treats always supplied by Camilla with the blessing of Kate, helped ease a tricky situation
How the royal children are modernizing the monarchy is simple really. The most compelling image of the Jubilee was without doubt The Queen, Paddington Bear and that sandwich. But a close second has to be the image of the boisterous Prince Louis rolling his eyes and clasping his hands to his ears while the flypast took place all while he stood with the queen.
That picture sold around the world and made various snappers very rich indeed.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Louis and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson attend the Platinum Jubilee pageant in London June 5, 2022. (Ian Vogler/Pool via Reuters)
So how does this differ from even Harry and William’s sterner upbringing to today’s children? Well, Princess Diana was a lax mom in many ways and treated her children to the real world, showing them that not all was privilege and first-class flights. But it’s the 21st century, and royal moms have to connect now more than ever, thanks to the world of social media.
Catherine has hinted at motherhood struggles and has shared her life like no other royal mom before her.
"Choosing that picture as a mom is hard because you love them all."
She is unique in that she is a brilliant photographer herself, taking all her children’s official portraits with the assistance of hubby William, which means she controls the image and who she lets have them first. This makes the release exciting and newsworthy. But, as she told me at an exhibition, "Choosing that picture as a mom is hard because you love them all."
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte attend the Platinum Jubilee pageant in London June 5, 2022. (Frank Augstein/Pool via Reuters)
The response to these pictures of Charlotte connecting to the public, along with George and his days out with dad at the football field, make them so very relatable on so many levels, which is vital when reshaping the monarchy for all.
Take this recent social media post shared by Kate and Prince William of the royal mother baking with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis as the Platinum Jubilee celebrations for Queen Elizabeth continued.
"Baking cakes for the local community in Cardiff to enjoy at a Platinum Jubilee Street party taking place today!" they said in the post.
PRINCE LOUIS, 4, GOES VIRAL AGAIN DURING QUEEN ELIZABETH’S PLATINUM JUBILEE PAGEANT
The images were taken in a glamorous but light kitchen decorated with a Union Jack pendant banner. George, Charlotte and Louis wore off-duty polo shirts and shorts as they prepped, poured and mixed ingredients.
Prince William and his son, Prince George, laugh during a portion of the Palace party. (Chris Jackson)
Charlotte dumped flour into a bowl as George looked on and Louis expertly sifted all on his own. A very charming modern image that quickly escalated in mega views, proving just how popular they are as a family, but, more importantly, relatable. Doing something so mundane and ordinary works brilliantly. This post alone created so much traffic on the royal social media pages, and the royals are giving free use of the pictures to all media, making this a win for all tabloid editors and online sites.
Now, we saw the arrival — after a disastrous return to the U.K. — of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the personal invitation of the queen. Literally seconds after arriving in the U.S., they released a first-ever picture of Lilibeth Diana.
Odd timing or personal PR wars? Well, a good source tells me that Meghan noticed the public relations to the royal children and quickly figured that this was a good ploy in trying to warm up her own less-than-hot personal rating. Meghan looked a decade younger in the picture and without much makeup. Maybe it was another nod to Kate, who is known for her pared-down makeup look.
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The biggest mistake with this picture is that no one requested it, and it came without warning. So, again, one could assume that they are being driven by a dire need to wire up their own public relations, which is at rock bottom. The picture did not make the usual front pages that would have naturally happened here in the U.K. if they had still been a part of the monarchy.
Harry’s team will be working overtime on how this could have happened, and good luck with explaining that away.
New stars on the royal stage include Lady Louise Windsor, who at 18 can decide if she wishes to become a working royal like her mom and dad, Edward and Sophie, or retreat for a normal life away from the firm. But her close friendship with the queen suggests she just may be persuaded to join and is already proving very popular with the media and public, which is a double whammy.
Two bubbling stars are the children of two other non-working royals — the daughter of Princess Anne, Zara Tindall, and her husband, ex rugby player Mike — who have really scored big with the public, particularly with unique use of social media and the antics of their fun-loving children Mia and Lena. They gave the crowd a lot of fun on the big screens around the jubilee as they truly made the crowd laugh all without trying. You can’t buy this kind of heart-warming PR.
Viscount Severn and Lady Louise Windsor ride in a carriage as the royal procession leaves Buckingham Palace for the Trooping the Color in London June 2, 2022. (Aaron Chown/Pool Photo via AP, File)
It has to be said though that the big stars of the future are Prince George, Charlotte and little Louis.
While many claimed he was badly behaved at the jubilee, and Kate needed to get a grip on his antics, the description on their social media, which mentioned Louis as a standalone moment, lets the people know that the royals know how much we like him and, more importantly, how important he will be alongside all the others in shaping and modernizing the monarchy.
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Showing how popular Prince Louis has become overnight — and he is a social media sensation — are the requests for pictures of him to the palace. They have gone through the roof and will be seen on calendars and greeting cards and postcards sold in Buckingham Palace's shop and all over the world.
If he were the child of a celebrity, he would now be the male Miley Cyrus, such is his popularity But truly that has all come from the access we have had shared and simply because he has a strong personality that shone like a beacon from the royal box. Louis is going to be huge.
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