Queen Elizabeth Once Revealed This About Princess Charlotte & Prince George's Bond

The royal family is protective of younger members like Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, so it makes sense that, aside from spotting the three siblings at official events like Trooping the Colour every year, we don't know much about them. But in 2018, Queen Elizabeth II delighted royal fans when she provided a tiny morsel of information about George and Charlotte's relationship. The royal family was in attendance at the Sandringham church service in January 2018 when the queen struck up a conversation with one Ellen Clay as she gifted her daughter a Bible. Her Majesty asked Clay's eldest daughter, Emily, whether she was the one who "looked after" her younger sister. Clay quickly interjected, "[It's] the other way around." 

The queen responded, "It's like that with Charlotte and George," per Hello! magazine. Clearly, Charlotte takes her duties as George's sister very seriously. Another rare occasion on which the beloved late monarch commented on her great-grandchildren was in the 2018 documentary "The Queen's Green Planet." Her Majesty was filmed having a candid chat with a senior attendant, named Neil Turner, about Christmas trees, and in the process she revealed that George and Charlotte (Prince Louis was not yet born) got a little too rowdy with excitement around the festive season. 

"That is always the problem, is the children love knocking those decorations off. Well my great-grandchildren do anyway, they enjoy themselves," the queen admitted, per Express. She'd already devised a solution to the problem: "The great thing is to make them decorate it and they're a bit more careful." We can see why her reign was so long and successful.

From what Queen Elizabeth II inferred about Prince George and Princess Charlotte's relationship during that 2018 church service, it's plain as day that they have very different personalities. This was confirmed by a royal insider in 2019, who disclosed to People that Charlotte is "more outgoing," while her older brother is "more reserved." But despite this, they "spend so much time together," with the source pointing out how, "Playdates [with outsiders] can be tricky, so they learn to lean on each other." While Charlotte has broken a royal beauty rule or two, she's well versed in royal protocol. In fact, she's the one who keeps reminding her brothers how to conduct themselves at royal events. 

"Charlotte knows the rules. She's the one in the middle," global parenting expert and "Supernanny" Jo Frost dished to Hello! magazine in June 2026. "She knows how to keep everyone in good stead." Indeed, we suspect Charlotte might have been the one telling George to be careful around their great-grandmother's Christmas decorations. Even her mother, Princess Catherine, revealed during a 2017 royal engagement that her daughter is a born leader. "Charlotte is growing up really fast. She is the one in charge," she proudly shared with a bystander, per Hello! 

Case in point, Charlotte gently reminded her older brother of important royal protocol during Queen Elizabeth II's funeral proceedings. The future king momentarily forgot what he had to do as Her Majesty's coffin passed by them. Charlotte was spotted leaning in to instruct him, "You need to bow," per Fox News. It was a sweet moment that put their close bond on full display, and it quickly went viral. We bet the queen would have been proud.

Princess Charlotte and Prince George might be the future of the monarchy but, as Queen Elizabeth II indicated when she discussed the Christmas tree scenario, their royal titles don't take away from the duo behaving like normal kids, and that includes getting into heated arguments every now and then. Their disagreements are reportedly often over the music they want to listen to while getting ready for school. "Most mornings there's a massive fight between Charlotte and Prince George as to what song is played," Prince William divulged on Apple Fitness+'s "Time to Walk" series in 2021, per People. At the time, George wanted to eat his breakfast while listening to AC/DC, but Charlotte preferred to jam to Shakira's 2010 hit "Waka Waka." 

Plans had to be made to stop the morning feuding in the Wales household, so William implemented a new rule: "I have to, now, basically prioritize that one day someone does this one and another day it's someone else's turn. So, George gets his go, then Charlotte gets her go. Such is the clamor for the music." This is a perfect example of how the Prince of Wales tries to treat his children equally. Charlotte and George have proven they aren't falling into the heir and spare trap, and according to royal expert Tina Brown's "Fresh Hell" Substack, William is working hard to keep it that way. Royal biographer Christopher Andersen reiterated this in a 2025 interview with Harper's Bazaar. "They pretty much lavish equal attention on all three, while at the same time nurturing their distinct and different personalities," the author clarified simply.