All eyes were on Prince Louis at the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony, as the six-year-old charmed viewers with his varied reactions to the event – from debuting dance moves to pretending to fall asleep.
Louis and his elder siblings, Prince George, 10, and Princess Charlotte, nine, accompanied their mother Kate to the parade in her first appearance since revealing her cancer diagnosis in March.
The family rode in a glass horse-drawn carriage to the affair at Horse Guards Parade in London. William, the Prince of Wales, was also in attendance, but rode on horseback alongside his aunt, the Princess Royal, and his uncle, the Duke of Edinburgh.
King Charles, who is also being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer, inspected the troops alongside Queen Camilla from a different carriage.
Follow The Independent’s Trooping the Colour coverage here.
After the carriage ride, Kate and the children left to take their viewing spots, where Louis was seen enjoying the celebrations.
As the British Grenadiers marched past the monarch, musicians played a bagpipe-led piece. When the cameras cut to the viewing spot, Louis was seen moving quickly in time with the music, while Kate watched him and smiled.
Louis entertained viewers when he played with the drawstring for the blinds, as well as fiddling with the window at the Duke of Wellington’s former office. The prince was also seen yawning and appearing to show his lack of interest as he scrunched up his face.
Prince Louis is known for drawing focus at events with his curiosity and excitable expressions. Previous Trooping the Colour ceremonies have seen the young royal pointing at the RAF Red Arrow fly-past, and saluting along with his relatives.
The annual ceremony marks the monarch’s official birthday. This year’s event is particularly significant for being the first public event that Kate has attended since her cancer diagnosis.
Kate announced on Friday that she would attend the King’s Birthday Parade after making “good progress” in her treatment.
“I am making good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days,” Kate said in a statement, adding that she faces “a few more months” of treatment.
Admitting that she is “not out of the woods yet”, the Princess said she has returned to light duties and helping her three children with their schoolwork when she feels well enough.
King Charles was also diagnosed with cancer this year, and has eased back into various duties such as the D-Day 80th anniversary celebrations in Normandy last week.
Elsewhere at Saturday’s event, the royal family travelled in various carriages to Buckingham Palace amid a heavy rain shower for the event’s conclusion: the 41-gun salute and the Red Arrows fly-past.
George, Charlotte and Louis accompanied their mother in the carriage once again, and were seen wiping the steamy windows and waving to the cheering public.
