Princess Charlotte Tries to Stop Little Brother Prince Louis from Waving During Carriage Procession (But It Didn’t Work!)

Prince George Princess Charlotte Prince Louis — (Image credit: Samir Hussein / WireImage for Getty Images)

It’s long been Cambridge lore that Princess Charlotte rules the roost—and that was on full display this morning at the Trooping the Colour carriage procession, when she adorably stopped little Prince Louis from waving too much (not that he listened!).

It was, as PEOPLE put it, a “total big sister moment” for Charlotte, 7, and Louis, 4. Louis has long been an enthusiastic waver—who can forget his first Buckingham Palace balcony appearance at Trooping the Colour in 2019?—and Charlotte has long been a protector of her little brother. In official portraits from Louis’ christening in 2018, Charlotte adorably holds his hand and gazes at him with love (while everyone else smiles at the camera).

Today, older brother Prince George, 8, Charlotte, and Louis all made their carriage procession debut, sitting across from mum Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. Louis sat in the middle of George and Charlotte, and both Charlotte and Louis enthusiastically waved to the crowds assembled, until Charlotte took a break. Louis just kept on waving—until Charlotte stopped him by taking his hand and putting it on his lap. But, just a moment later, Louis kept on waving, undeterred.

Prince Louis Kate Middleton Princess Charlotte

Those weren’t the last waves of the day—Louis stole the show later on his second Buckingham Palace balcony appearance, standing beside the Queen and waving to jubilant crowds, putting his hands over his ears to muffle the Royal Air Force flypast, and making dozens of other gestures and faces throughout his entire time on the balcony.

Queen Elizabeth Prince Louis Kate Middleton Princess Charlotte

These Cambridge kids—we love them!

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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.