Prince Louis has kept everyone thoroughly entertained over the years with his exuberance - and mischievousness - at major royal occasions. Trooping the Colour might be the monarch’s official birthday parade but in the eyes of many fans, it’s Louis’ time to shine and we’ve seen countless hilarious expressions from him.
This includes the Platinum Jubilee parade in 2022 and royal photographer Chris Jackson has revealed that one of his iconic pictures of Louis had him "chuckling". He included it in his new book, Modern Monarchy: The British Royal Family In A New Era, and explained why it made the cut.
"There are always some fun moments. I had to include a shot from 2022 that showed one of Queen Elizabeth II's last appearances on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, when Prince Louis put his hands over his ears as the RAF Red Arrows roared overhead," Chris told Hello!.
The contrast of the then-four-year-old yelling over the noise whilst his great-grandmother stood serenely beside him is hilarious. Chris Jackson said as much too, adding that the children always make him smile, adding that they’re "not always adhering to royal protocol, necessarily" and it’s "that kind of heart-warming situation that has [him] chuckling behind the camera."
"One of the great things about being a royal photographer is being at the epicentre of these incredible, positive, exciting moments," he shared.
Prince Louis in particular sounds like a photographer’s dream person to take pictures of, precisely because he’s so authentically himself and doesn’t always follow the "rules".
As he’s got older we’ve seen fewer cheeky expressions from him, but he’s given us plenty we’ll never forget - from this Trooping the Colour moment, to him blowing a raspberry at Kate during the Platinum Pageant and blowing out Charlotte’s candle at Together at Christmas.
He’s now very used to the noise and excitement of the Sovereign’s birthday parade and last year no-one could fail to notice his delight at seeing the flypast and the crowds below. The seven-year-old even snuck in one sneaky final wave as the Royal Family turned to go back inside Buckingham Palace afterwards.
We’ll never know exactly what the royals say to each other on the balcony, though according to reports the Princess of Wales did step in once to remind her youngest son about protocol. It was very subtle and lip reader Jeremy Freeman claims she said, "National anthem. Louis, stand."
The Prince then straightened up and stood throughout the anthem just like the rest of his family. Whilst he has a reputation for mischievousness based on past appearances, Louis is growing up and his proud dad Prince William was full of praise for him when asked if he was a "handful".
During a visit to the Women’s Institute last September, the future King said, "He's a character, but he's a very good boy. He likes to wind his brother and sister up." The Prince of Wales also reportedly shared more about what Prince George is like in private.
"When George is behind closed doors, it's completely different. George just knows how to behave," Prince William said.
