6 Times King Charles Has Been Spotted Rocking Handmade Gifts From Princess Charlotte

He may be the king, but when it comes to his grandkids, King Charles III is just like any other proud grandpa. We don't know all the ins and outs of the royal family dynamics, but Charles makes it easy for anyone to see how he feels about the littlest royals. He wears his love for granddaughter Princess Charlotte on his sleeve — or should we say: on his wrist?

Charlotte reportedly "enjoys a close relationship" with Charles, as royal expert Robert Jobson told Hello! in May 2026. "He totally adores her," Jobson said, noting that, in turn, "She loves it when he reads to her in his funny voices." Charles and Charlotte clearly have a special bond, and it seems that the royal responsibilities he's lived with his whole life take a backseat to being a grandparent. The kids' name for him says it all: "They don't call him Grandpa King, they call him Grandpa Wales," Jobson explained. Behind closed doors, Charles is happy to be Grandpa Wales. Interestingly, even when he's in king mode, out and about performing royal duties, he still hints at his favorite role of all. 

There have been more than a few occasions when eagle-eyed royal watchers have spotted Charles wearing something unusual, which many surmise are handmade gifts from Charlotte. These friendship bracelets seemingly gifted by Charlotte are clearly Charles' favorite accessories — whether he's in a suit or a full uniform. And, Charlotte is surely proud to see her designs on display for all to see.

The month after Charlotte attended Taylor Swift's Eras Tour in June 2024, King Charles made an appearance in Cardiff, Wales, and observant fans of the royal family could spot an orange friendship bracelet peeking out from underneath his sleeve. Princess Charlotte is a total Swiftie. Sharing friendship bracelets with fellow Eras Tour-goers was a popular trend at the time. While this typically involved beaded bracelets, and the ones Charles sports are woven, it's easy to wonder if Charlotte picked up a bracelet-making hobby because of Swift.

Later that same month, King Charles and Queen Camilla made an appearance in Guernsey. With one wave caught on camera, Charles proved that his orange friendship bracelet was his new go-to accessory, subtly revealing it beneath his sleeve again. It's worth noting that, while Camilla was wearing several bracelets of her own on this occasion, she didn't appear to be sporting any friendship bracelets like Charles'. So, perhaps she's not as much of a diehard Swiftie as her hubby is.

For more laidback royal events, it's understandable that King Charles felt comfortable tucking his gift from his granddaughter under his sleeve for safe keeping. Yet, some may have been surprised to see him showing up to the State Opening of Parliament in 2024 in full uniform and still sporting the accessory. He was photographed traveling in a carriage, and his wave exposed the tiny red and white string bracelet amidst his otherwise official attire.

In case anyone thought Princess Charlotte simply gifted her Grandpa Wales one friendship bracelet that he proceeded to wear for years, think again. If Charlotte really is the mastermind behind these bracelets, it seems that she has been going strong making them for years. In February 2026, King Charles was photographed in Barking, England sporting a different friendship bracelet. From the looks of it, Charlotte must have given her grandpa an updated accessory, and once again, he was seriously proud to wear it while out and about while attending royal engagements.

In February 2026, King Charles was photographed during a Dedham, Essex walkabout. The dreary day required an umbrella, but his larger-than-ever stack of friendship bracelets looked like a rainbow after the storm. This pic shows that Charles had collected at least five bracelets by this time, and as far as he is concerned, it seems that it's "the more the merrier" when it comes to jewelry by Charlotte. Evidently, as long as she keeps making bracelets, she has a very eager jewelry model at her disposal.

King Charles was not among the worst-dressed royals at Trooping The Colour 2026, not only because he was dressed in a military uniform that didn't leave much room for fashion statements, but also because of one special accessory. Trooping the Colour celebrates the monarch's birthday, so it certainly meant a lot that Charles chose to stack his friendship bracelets for the special day. Juxtaposed with his official uniform, his stack of colorful bracelets was the perfect representation of how he balances being King Charles III and Grandpa Wales.