Public Princess Charlotte Moments That Will Melt Your Heart
Correction 6/15/2023: An earlier version of this article mistakenly referred to Princess Charlotte as a future queen. This reference has been removed.
Princess Charlotte may be young, but she is already making a name for herself in the media as one of the most adorable and cheeky royals. As third in line to the crown, behind her father Prince William and brother Prince George, Charlotte has an important future ahead of her. Of course, that doesn't mean she can't be silly and act her age. And while her parents might not always approve, Charlotte's mischievous side eeks out at important public events. Royal watchers have been delighted to see the young princess' personality shine through on camera, and she has created very memorable and adorable moments.
As Charlotte has gotten older, many have remarked on her her confidence. "We can see so many signals of both growing confidence and a sense of fun, and a talent for spontaneity and face-pulling that might even eclipse little Louis," body language expert Judi James told The Sun. "We can also see her relationships with her parents and a growing sense of her royal profile and the kind of princess she might finally be," she added.
Princess Charlotte meets the world
On May 2, 2015, Princess Catherine gave birth to her second child, Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. Her birth made quite the commotion because not only was she Prince William and Catherine's first (and only) daughter, but because just two years earlier a new law changed Charlotte's life before she was even born.
In 2013, Queen Elizabeth passed the Succession to the Crown Act, ensuring Charlotte would not have to take a backseat to her younger brother. As the royal family's official website explains, this act "[ended] the system of male primogeniture, under which a younger son can displace an elder daughter in the line of succession."
Charlotte looked like a little doll on the day she was introduced to the world. Sleeping in her mother's arms, she was bundled in a white Merino wool shawl. Hundreds of people gathered outside St. Mary's Hospital to see William and Catherine's new bundle of joy.
Charlotte utters her first word in public
When she was just 1 year old, Princess Charlotte traveled with her family to Canada for an extended trip. There, she was photographed having fun at a party for children of the military. Charlotte reportedly had everyone in a fit of giggles because of her love of dogs and balloons. According to Vanity Fair, it was when Charlotte was admiring the balloons that she uttered her very first word in public: pop. She later asked the man making balloon animals for a flower. Admiring the little girl in public and hearing her favorite words for the first time was a big moment for the royal family.
Now that Charlotte is older, her vocabulary has, of course, improved. In fact, she asked Sir David Attenborough for his take on arachnids in a 2020 video interview. "I like spiders," she admitted. "Do you like spiders too?"
The perfect flower girl
Back in May 2017, Princess Catherine's younger sister, Pippa Middleton, married her longtime beau James Matthews. Although Pippa isn't a member of the British royal family, her sister is the future Queen of England — and so she has just as much worthy space in the papers as some of the royals.
With Pippa being Princess Charlotte's aunt (fun fact: Charlotte is actually Pippa's middle name), it made sense that she asked the little one to be a flower girl in her wedding. With a white short-sleeved dress, a baby's breath crown in her hair, a muted pink sash around her waist, and a wicker basket full of flower petals in one hand, this was one of Charlotte's most adorable moments. She was photographed, all smiles, sometimes galavanting with the other children who took part in the ceremony, other times holding onto her mother's hand.
Big sister on duty
Three years after giving birth to the princess, Princess Catherine and Prince William celebrated the birth of their third child, Prince Louis. At such a young age, Charlotte was already a cheeky and confident little girl, and as a big sister, those qualities appear to continue.
On the day of Louis' birth, William picked up Charlotte and Prince George to see their little brother for the first time. Dressed in a navy sweater and blue dress, Charlotte smiled wide at photographers, looking happy to meet the newest member of her family. Her smile and waves to the crowd showed a glimmer of her personality, not to mention her excitement about becoming a big sister.
That excitement didn't wane after Louis came home, it seems. A source reportedly told Us Weekly, "Charlotte is really enjoying having a younger brother to play with. She's taking her big sister duties very seriously. She won't leave baby Louis' side." It appears that Charlotte and Louis are more alike and have developed a strong relationship in their short time together. At multiple events, Charlotte and Louis have been seen making silly faces and keeping each other entertained.
A royal achoo
In May 2018, Prince Harry married American actor and humanitarian Meghan Markle in a star-studded event at Windsor Castle's St. George's Chapel. While the wedding was all about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, many eyes were on Princess Charlotte. While her brother Prince George was a page boy, Charlotte was a part of the bridal party and wore the sweetest white dress and flower crown.
Although she appeared to be all smiles at the royal event, Prince Harry revealed in his memoir that Charlotte cried when she first tried on the Givenchy dress because it was too big for her. This sparked one of the ongoing rumors about the tense relationship between Catherine and Meghan after Charlotte was unsatisfied with her dress.
In the end, Charlotte looked adorable as she waved at the thousands of fans of the royal family on her way to watch her uncle get married. One of the sweetest snaps was her sneezing while walking outside with her mom.
Princess Charlotte sent tongues wagging after this event
In August 2019, Princess Charlotte joined her family for the King's Cup along the English Channel, Isle of Wight. The royals gathered to support the racers and to raise funds for the royal charities. While watching the event, Princess Kate urged Charlotte to wave to the photographers and fans, but instead of listening to her mother she hilariously stuck her tongue out at onlookers. Everyone laughed off the gesture considering she was just a child.
In fact, although Charlotte stuck her tongue out at everyone looking at her, she enjoys being a tiny princess. A source told Us Weekly that Charlotte knows she's a princess and loves her title. "Charlotte knows she's a princess and already has a toy tiara, which she loves wearing," they said. And while Charlotte did make a face at onlookers, the source continued saying the children aren't spoiled but know "there's something special about them."
A giggly Trooping the Colour ceremony
Every year, the United Kingdom has a celebration called Trooping the Colour, which celebrates the birthday of the British monarch. The royals are the focus of the celebration, which includes music, parades, carriages, and thousands of people celebrating in the streets outside Buckingham Palace. As usual, the royal family takes to the famous balcony and waves to spectators. In recent years, the royal children have been a real highlight — especially Princess Charlotte.
One of the princess' more adorable moments happened in 2022. While on the balcony, Charlotte stood between her brothers and waved to the crowd. Charlotte giggled while holding her ears during the Royal Air Force's fly-past.
In her sky blue dress, Charlotte looked adorable while celebrating what would be her great-grandmother's final Trooping the Colour celebration. The princess' giggles and hand gestures were quite the contrast to the normally stoic-looking royal family.
Princess Charlotte's first day of school
It is a big moment for any parent when their kids go off to school for the first time. With Princess Charlotte being the secondborn child to Prince William and Princess Catherine, the parents' already had experience with school dropoffs, but we're sure it was just as emotional for them to see their daughter off on her first day at Thomas's Battersea.
In September 2019, she and her older brother Prince George smiled for pictures outside of the school before joining their new friends. In a blink of an eye, these two siblings were now attending the same school.
In the time since her first day, an insider alleged to Us Weekly that Charlotte has been a shining student. "Charlotte is sharp and bright as a button," the source claimed. "She is top of her class at reading. She actually enjoys doing homework."
Fun in the sun
In 2019, Princess Charlotte joined her family for a day of fun in the sun at the King Power Royal Charity Polo Day. Prince William and Prince Harry joined the match as their wives and children watched from the sidelines. Charlotte, in particular, looked like she was having oodles of fun while chasing around a soccer ball and later enjoying snacks in the trunk of a royal car with her brothers.
While her dad participated in the event, photographers grabbed precious pictures of Charlotte playing with her brothers. From eating snacks in the back of the family car to running circles around her mom in a precious pink dress, Charlotte's cheeky personality was easy to see.
She and George passed the soccer ball around before getting distracted by a polo mallet and trying their best to get the ball rolling. Seeing this side of the princess is always sweet to see because, despite the royal title, she is still very much able to be a kid.
Princess Charlotte goes to the aquatics center
In the summer of 2022, Princess Charlotte went to the Commonwealth Games with her competitive-loving parents and siblings. The event has multiple sports and athletes competing against each other from different countries in the Commonwealth, but Charlotte stuck with watching the swim meet. Some of the sports include hockey, archery, boxing, and cricket, but Charlotte was transfixed by the swimmers. Photographers caught her adorable expressions on camera while watching the swimmers compete. Between tugging her hair, clapping, and giggling with her parents, Charlotte appeared to be in her element amongst athletes and their fans.
Aside from Charlotte's hilariously relatable expressions during an intense sporting match, what made this moment special was that it was a solo appearance for the princess. Instead of leaning on her brothers, she had one on one time with her parents. The trio eventually left the pool to watch gymnasts and catch a workshop on nutrition, but her cutest moments were watching the swimmers compete with her parents.
The coronation of King Charles III
In May 2023, history began with the coronation of King Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort. Like many royal events, the coronation was a huge proceeding. Famous faces were in attendance to see the king and queen crowned. Showing her support for her grandfather's big day, Princess Charlotte wore a white dress with a floral headpiece. While she looked adorable from the beginning to the end of the ceremony, the cutest part of her appearance was the way she held her younger brother's hand during part of the event.
The service was said to be two hours long, which is a long time for two kids so young, but Charlotte and Prince Louis did their best to keep themselves entertained in a structured setting — all while showing their sibling love for each other.
In the end, Charlotte took the royal carriage with her brothers where she looked charming looking out the window and waving to her patrons.
Princess Charlotte showed her love for an American singer
In honor of the coronation of King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, a concert was held at Windsor Castle. Singer and "American Idol" judge Katy Perry took the stage to sing two songs, and fans were quick to notice that the young Princess Charlotte is a big Katy Perry fan. Onlookers saw Charlotte singing and dancing to "Roar" without a care in the world. Charlotte also seemed to enjoy listening to the other stars who took the stage, including Lionel Richie, Andrea Bocelli, and Nicole Scherzinger.
Although Charlotte will likely grow up to be a working royal, she has a love for performing — including dancing. As Romper pointed out, Charlotte has this in common with her late grandmother, Princess Diana, because she too loved singing and dancing. Prince William told the "Time to Walk" podcast that Charlotte and Prince George kids typically fight over which songs to listen to while getting ready in the morning, and that Charlotte loves dancing around in her ballet clothes.
The princess takes a bow
In May 2023, Princess Charlotte joined her family for a day of lighthearted fun outside with local Scouts as they helped update the Scouts' meeting house, as well as divulge in a few sports. While Prince William took his sons to dig up the ground with an excavator, Charlotte partook in the woodsy sport of archery. With her arm cocked back and her eyes on the prize, Charlotte looked the part and proved she was just as good as the Scouts.
Over the years, William and Princess Catherine have shown their passion for athletic events as well as their competitive nature. Now with three kids in tow, it looks like Charlotte and her brothers will be similar. In fact, as the Daily Mail reported in 2022, Charlotte's sport of choice is gymnastics. "Charlotte spends most of her time upside-down, doing handstands and cartwheels," Catherine said of her daughter.