Prince Louis Makes His Royal Easter Debut

This morning marked a royal first for Prince Louis—at nearly five years old (his birthday is April 23), he finally made his Easter service debut alongside the rest of his family. Louis clutched his mother’s hand as he walked alongside his parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and his older siblings Prince George and Princess Charlotte into church at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor. (For their part, People reports, George and Charlotte made their own Easter debuts just last year.)

And, similar to last year, the Wales family (then the Cambridges) wore a blue color palette. Louis wore blue shorts and knee socks with a blazer and tie featuring a bicycle print. People reports it is typical for upper-class boys in Britain to wear shorts in their younger years before switching to suits. Kate wore a blue Catherine Walker coat; as has been their seemingly new tradition lately, the King and Queen also donned blue, which appears to be the new color du jour of the royal family.

As Louis held his mother’s hand, Charlotte held her father’s hand as George walked in front. The Mirror caught an adorable moment where Charlotte looked over at Louis and smiled dotingly after seeing one of her little brother’s trademark adorable facial expressions (a la Platinum Jubilee cuteness). Kate, according to body language expert Judi James, appeared confident and proud of Louis, reports The Mirror.

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“There seemed to be a sudden ripple of warm applause for Kate and Louis, with many fans probably remembering his playfulness at the Jubilee and keen to praise his much more serious and well-behaved body language here,” James says. “As he strode out, glancing confidently at the fans, Kate glanced down at her son then looked up with a grin of pride that converted to a wide smile at the crowds.”

Though Marie Claire reported recently that Louis will be in attendance at the Coronation, Page Six reported that there was a chance he could be absent because of past antics at the Jubilee. If Easter was a test run for the Coronation, it looks like Louis passed with flying colors. (Fingers crossed we’ll see him again in under a month’s time at the May 6 ceremony—Page Six reports that William and Kate will announce about Louis closer to time.)

Kate herself had a fashion moment you might have missed—though wearing a standby designer she gravitates towards, The Daily Express pointed out that she broke tradition and wore a deep red nail polish to the service today. (Queen Elizabeth II preferred neutral or light nail polish, and, as a sign of respect, many women in the royal family followed her lead when it came to this.)

This is not only the first Easter since Her late Majesty’s passing last September, but April 9 also marks the second anniversary of Prince Philip’s death and Charles and Camilla’s eighteenth wedding anniversary.

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.