Hilarious Royal Candid Moments That Were Caught On Camera

When we think of the British royal family, it's all pageantry, high style, and perfectly proper public comments. With millions of viewers worldwide tuning in to watch royal weddings, the monarch and their families are looked to as the shining example of international grace and decorum. In other words, we expect our leaders to be perfect, and they sure do try their hardest to give us their top form.

That being said, each member of the royal family has had their share of gaffes – many of which were caught on camera. Underneath the crown jewels and sashes, they're just like us with their goofy senses of humor, awkward moments, and plenty of sass to go around. Thanks to reporters and the long memory of the internet, we've got an ever-growing archive of hilarious candid moments to keep us entertained. These are some of the funniest moments featuring the late Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III, and other members of the royal family.

Since the queen's passing in September 2022, the spotlight has been on King Charles III (via AP News). Though we've most often seen clips of the former heir apparent looking somber and businesslike in a full suit, we don't frequently get the chance to see him go off script, so to speak. As it turns out, underneath the polished exterior, this British royal has a flare for theatrics.

You may be shocked to learn that he actually used to participate in sketch comedy routines during his time at Cambridge University. In one clip, then-student Charles portrays a reporter being dragged into the water while trying to reel in a difficult catch. "Here I am, showing just how adaptable a sports commentator can be," he stated before going full tilt into his acting. The King of England flailing a fishing rod around is not a sight we'll soon forget. The video has a classically British, Monty Python-style humor, and we can't get enough of it!

Catherine, Princess of Wales, is the epitome of grace. Even when she got feisty on a cricket pitch or caught her high heel in a drain, she somehow managed not to look awkward at all. Needless to say, this royal mom isn't intimidated by unexpected circumstances.

We have to imagine that when the pregnant Princess of Wales arrived at Paddington Station on October 16, 2017, she probably wasn't planning on having a waltz with a bear — but that's what happened. According to Time, this was the first event she had attended in a while due to bouts of hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of morning sickness. If anything, she may have been hoping for a quick meet and greet, but the costumed character, Paddington Bear, had different plans. In classic Kate fashion, she stepped into the dance without hesitation, giving us this funny little moment.

Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, are #couplegoals, especially when they get cheeky with each other. At the 2018 Global Ministerial Mental Health Summit, artist Dairo Vargas gave the royal couple a chance to contribute to his painting. According to People, William volunteered Catherine to go first, claiming she was the "arty one." As the princess added a light stroke to the subject's shoulder, William joked, "That's pretty much ruined the picture!" 

When it came time for him to paint, he took his jibe a step further. Grabbing the brush, he asserted, "This is how you properly ruin a picture." You have to appreciate the heir presumptive's understated but direct sense of humor — it's much like his mother's. But the Princess of Wales was the one to have the last laugh. When Vargas handed off the brush to her husband, she told him, "That's very brave of you."

Like his little brother Prince Louis, Prince George has had some amusing candid moments himself. In 2019, a video of the royal family baking a Christmas dessert together went viral after the young prince got a little too enthusiastic with his mixing. What started out as a sweet holiday video ended in a "massacre" of pudding, as one YouTube user described it. It's okay, George, we love your energy!

This isn't the only time the young royal has set himself up for hilarious strings of comments online. During the queen's platinum jubilee, photographers captured some great expressions on George's face (via Twitter). As expected, audiences made the most of each expression. "Don't we all watch tennis like this?" one user asked, while another commenter mused that he'd make a good football manager. The tweet that takes the cake goes to Twitter user MattinWoolwich for his perfect caption of the young prince's most anxious-looking expression: "Prince George looks like he's sending Louis on with five minutes to go to try [to] get a winner, while William gives him the instructions."

No cap, King Charles III would make an excellent weatherman. During his 2012 visit to BBC Scotland's headquarters in Glasgow, the British royal performed a special newscast to celebrate 60 years of the network's time on air. We're sure audiences did a double take when they turned on their televisions that morning. As one YouTube commenter pointed out: "Imagine, you wake up first thing in the morning, and you're a bit tired. Then you turn the telly on to check the weather, only to see Prince Charles! You'd think there was something wrong!" 

For the bit, producers introduced Charles to their green screen weather map and had him read from the prompter, to fantastic results. It's impressive how smoothly he rattled off different city names and weather patterns, but the best parts were his cheeky, off-script remarks. At one point, he joked, "Who the hell wrote this script?" (We assume the writer then perished from embarrassment.) After describing how dismal the weather was going to be all over the country, he ended the segment with, "Thank god it isn't a bank holiday."

We bet you never thought you would see the King of England breakdance! Thanks to archival footage, you can. In a BBC editorial video from 1985, Charles can be seen attempting to bust a move in the middle of a dance circle. While participating in a special job fair designed to help West Sussex's most at-risk populations, the then-prince tried out his street dancing skills. The clip, which has since gone viral on TikTok, prompted comments ranging from "Dad dancing at its finest" to "Please stop him NOW" (via Cosmopolitan).

At first, he looked confused and exasperated on the dancefloor but after a few awkward maneuvers, he finally fell into a rhythm and found some confidence. Whether he succeeded in this endeavor, well... that's up to you. Either way, every minute of his effort is a gift to the internet. Special shoutout to the guy (0:47) who looks like he's all too glad to be on the sidelines.

Video calls brought us all closer during the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns — and by closer, we mean closer to strangling our parents for not being able to figure out how to unmute themselves or turn the selfie cam. Like the rest of us, the royal family also used video chatting to keep the ball rolling during the pandemic, and they struggled with the same technical difficulties.

As seen in a group video call from 2020, Princess Anne encountered some of the usual intergenerational issues when walking her mother through the online chatting process. When the late monarch said she could only see four out of the six people in attendance, Anne joked, "You don't need me, you know what I look like." Princess Anne, we admire your good-humored approach. At least the queen wasn't holding the camera down in her lap!