Today we were in for a treat, as Prince Louis made his debut at the annual Trooping the Colour festivities.
The young prince joined his older brother and sister, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, on the balcony at Buckingham Palace.
The children were busy even before they got to the balcony.
They had keen eyes for what was going on outside the palace windows.
Princess Charlotte did a warm-up of her royal wave.
Then it was time to go outside and be part of the excitement.
All three joined the rest of the royals for the RAF flyby.
In this video, you can see how Louis reacts to the flypast. Toward the end, he does some championship-level waving.
I think it’s fair to say #PrinceLouis enjoys a flypast! #TroopingTheColour pic.twitter.com/6Qh3T7mjCF
— Emily Nash (@emynash) June 8, 2019
There was quite a crowd on the balcony.
Prince Louis’ older brother and sister looked every bit the “old timers,” after years of being at the event. Prince George has been attending Trooping the Colour since 2015 and Princess Charlotte since 2016.
Prince Louis seemed intrigued by all the activity.
Even if his sister wasn’t thrilled by the noise.
But that didn’t deter her waving to the crowd.
Happy Birthday to Her Majesty The Queen!
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis joined Her Majesty and members of the @RoyalFamily to watch the @RoyalAirForce fly past pic.twitter.com/WY4Y35ZfQN
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) June 8, 2019
At one point, Prince Louis made it clear he wanted his father to hold him.
All three children were darling and very well behaved, something I imagine could be a challenge when exposed to the crowds and that much noise.
Prince Louis looks every bit as creative in making faces as Prince George was at this age.
There are some similarities.
It looks like Charlotte has picked up George’s two-handed wave.
While Louis seemed to enjoy waving from all directions.
Now for our look at what the children wore for the big day.
We’ll start with Prince Louis because he is probably the easiest, as it looks like he may have been wearing the outfit Prince Harry wore for Trooping the Colour back in 1986.
For #TroopingtheColour, Prince Louis donned his uncle Prince Harry’s hand-me-downs from 1986. https://t.co/4AgBIQMxQD pic.twitter.com/2iTYscgonM
— Yahoo Style UK (@YahooStyleUK) June 8, 2019
More from The Telegraph’s story:
The images from 1986 show little Harry perched on a stool on the Buckingham Palace balcony as his mother, Princess Diana (wearing her famous ‘Japanese flag’ dress) looks on and his aunt, Princess Anne, lifts him up to get a better look at the action.
The practice of dressing royal children in hand-me-downs (or at least, items which appear to be inherited from their parents’ generation) serves to underscore a relatable sense of thriftiness and upholds a traditional look which emphasises the family’s longevity; all those sweet smocked shirts and dresses are subtly significant demonstations of soft power- and the perfect excuse to raid the family albums.
It looks like Prince Louis *might* have also been wearing the same shoes Prince Harry wore.
This would not be the first time we saw one of the Cambridge children in something that was previously worn. In 2015 a young Prince George was in the same style that his father wore for Trooping the Colour in 1984.
For Trooping the Colour the next year, George wore the very same outfit his father wore for Prince Harry’s christening in 1984.
Now for Princess Charlotte. She is in a dress much like last year’s frock. It is done in a small floral print and has a Peter Pan collar with blue piping, puffed sleeves, and a smocked bodice. I do not yet have a definitive ID on the piece and am thinking it might be another one-off made just for the princess.
It also looks like the Duchess may have changed or modified her hair a little bit from what was seen when she was inside the palace, with a center part added, and her bow dropped down lower.
Prince George is in familiar pieces as well, much like those worn in previous years. Last year (center photo) he wore the Daniel shirt from Amaia Kids; in 2017 the shirt he wore was never identified.
George has worn the Daniel on multiple occasions, but I don’t believe he is in that style today. The buttons are different (clear or white with blue thread instead of mother of pearl), and the piping is also just a little bit different. (See inset photo below.)
We never saw if George was wearing shorts or trousers, nor did we see George or Charlotte’s shoes, so this portion of the post is shorter than usual!
I will leave with this as our final image for tonight, Prince George waving goodbye as he heads back into Buckingham Palace.
Tomorrow (Sunday) I should have more time to look into the Charlotte dress situation as well as George’s shirt.
VIDEOS:
This one from ITN’s Royal Family Channel is about 3 minutes; it has the carriage rides and some of the parade.
And this one is all video from the balcony. At about 2:17 you’ll see Prince George do a classic wave goodbye.
Looks like someone got some fashion inspiration from Charlotte. The girl standing next To Savannah and Isla is wearing a dress from Rachel Riley.
You have a great eye, Mika!?
Thanks. It’s from reading these posts. XD
I agree that the shorts aren’t the same. Louis has adorable bloomers that button onto the shirt. Harry had shorts for an older toddler(21 months)with a fabric belt. I wonder if the DOC had the bloomers made? I think Louis’s shoes are navy and Harry’s were black. Also, Louis is 13 months old and I doubt Harry’s shoes would comfortably fit him. Regardless, Louis is an absolute doll!
William seems to be taking such a visceral joy in being the father of Louis! I think it may be a combination of being more relaxed with #3 and also the knowledge that Louis doesn’t have to be raised with quite the standard of behavior that George is expected to have. It will be interesting (perhaps next year?) to see how Archie is dressed for occasions such as this.
It was a huge treat seeing all three tinies on the balcony this year, and it looks like the ebullient Louis is a real scene-stealer. I find it very touching that the recycle garments are not just confined to William’s past wardrobe, but can include Harry’s former outfits as well. It’s certainly one way to keep the focus off their fashion.
Charlotte’s dress is really pretty, it stands out from the previous year by having a denser print and dark trim, though picture quality is a bit questionable here, given long lenses are trying to zoom in from some distance. I can see that having her hair braided like this will keep it off her face, perhaps more successfully than a ribbon that might keep slipping off. Both the revised hairstyle and deeper colour print add a bit of maturity, though I guess I’m not in too much of a hurry to see her become very grown-up.
And poor old George looks very down in the dumps, there’s a young man who has clearly got better things to do than stand around with a load of grown-ups. I can only admire the persistence which results in keeping him in nearly indistinguishable shirts year-on-year, whether Amaia or not. All the children’s clothes are of exceptional quality and seem practical and comfortable as well as good-looking. It’s fascinating to learn more about them here.
When I first saw charlottes dress Little Alice London was who popped into my head but tbh i think the duchess does get the dresses custom made to avoid the issues shes had with georges clothing
That was the first place I looked as well! I agree with you on the practice of having things made to try and cut down on the commercial element related to the children’s clothing. (Cause in part by sites like this one.) 🙂
not really, the newspapers have played a huge part they usually ID the item before the sites can, the PA also announces what kate’s worn before
Also could this be a good replikate? I know its not exact but pretty dang close
https://www.trotters.co.uk/products/catherine-dress-blue-floral
It is a very good replica for Charlotte’s dress!?
Louis is seriously adorable! I thought his shorts looked slightly different than Harry’s, something about the waistband on his belly!