There's a famous saying that one should never work with animals or children, but when it comes to the Royal Family, they can't really leave family members at home as they take part in official engagements.
But perhaps there are times they wish they could...
As these hilarious photos prove, not even the likes of the late Queen Elizabeth and Catherine, Princess of Wales can compete with the royal children when they unleash their most uninhibited, unfiltered and unquestionably amusing thoughts and feelings. From hilarious moments where young royals misbehaved at events, to candid, cute royal children moments, we look back at the times when the youngest royals stole the show.
32 times royal children stole the show
When Prince George became an instant meme
In 2022, the world turned their attention to London to watch the historic Platinum Jubilee celebrations commemorating Queen Elizabeth's unprecedented 70 years on the throne.
While it seemed impossible that anything could upstage this iconic moment in history, Prince George ended up stealing the show and set social media ablaze with hilarious reactions to his choice of stance.
The young prince was compared to everything from a football manager to a disappointed teacher when he stood, hands on hips, looking most displeased by something.
Prince Louis isn't gripped by the Coronation
The Coronation of King Charles III in 2023 was the kind of spectacle that many people hadn't witnessed before - there hadn't been a coronation of a new British monarch in 70 years, after all.
However, while the triumphant ceremony was watched by millions across the globe, someone closer to home wasn't quite as enthralled.
Prince Louis cracked fans up when he was caught yawning away in Westminster Abbey, clearly oblivious to the chapter of history he had a front-row seat for.
Princess Charlotte goes rogue
Unlike her younger brother, Prince Louis, who is known for stealing the show with his mischievous antics, Princess Charlotte is often more demure and perfectly behaved.
But even Princesses can go rogue.
Charlotte sticking her tongue out during the King's Cup Regatta was the most memorable photo from the whole event - and it proved that this royal had some rebellion in her.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte steal the show at Wimbledon
Over the years, fans have got used to Kate Middleton's best reactions at sports events, with the Princess of Wales losing her usual cool as she cheers, hoots and hollers away.
And during Wimbledon 2022, fans got to see how her two oldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, were carrying the torch.
The young royals enjoyed a day out at the tennis with their parents, and they completely stole the show with their excited, wild reactions.
Prince William takes centre stage in 1984
Prince William has a way with people, and in more recent times, we're used to seeing the future King deliver speeches with confidence.
But, as it turns out, the Prince of Wales has always had the ability to charm a crowd.
In 1984, during a press call for his upcoming second birthday, William had no hesitation in posing up a storm and delighting the sea of journalists who were present.
Royal modes of transport have a flaw
Being royal comes with many privileges one can only dream of - but sometimes, the reality can dampen the fantasy, as the young Wales children proved in this hilarious photo.
As they joined their parents, Prince William and Kate Middleton, for Trooping the Colour in 2023, the three children's inability to hide their displeasure from the smell of the horse-drawn carriages completely upstaged the important tradition.
Prince George is caught peeking
Prince George stole the show during Trooping the Colour 2015 as it was his debut at the historic parade.
But if George's debut wasn't enough to completely steal the spotlight, the young Prince was caught full of glee as he peeked out of the windows of Buckingham Palace, waving away and melting the hearts of people around the world.
Prince William and Zara Tindall at Prince Andrew's wedding
For the 1986 wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, they enlisted some of their nieces and nephews to join the wedding parties.
Prince William was one of the Page Boys and Zara Tindall (nee Phillips) was a bridesmaid.
The wedding - which took place at Westminster Abbey, and was the last royal wedding to take place there up until Prince William and Kate Middleton's in 2011 - was a huge affair, but William's sweet naval inspired outfit and Zara's floral dress stole the show.
A cute cousin moment - Charlotte and Lena
Princess Charlotte only has brothers - Prince George and Prince Louis - so it's no surprise she seems to have formed a close bond with the children of Mike and Zara Tindall.
William and Zara have also always had a close bond as cousins, so they no doubt wanted their children to be friends.
During the 2022 Platinum Jubilee celebrations, Charlotte and Lena Tindall - Zara's middle child - were caught reading together and chatting away.
Prince Harry sticks his tongue out
Over the years, Prince Harry has found himself in the headlines for a myriad of reasons - some good, some less-so.
His cheeky nature and sense of humour have sometimes got him in trouble, and it turns out he's always had that rebellious streak in him.
During Trooping the Colour in 1988, all eyes were on the young Prince as he took his mother by surprise and pulled a most unroyal face at the thousands of people who had come to Buckingham Palace to watch the annual birthday parade for the sovereign.
Prince George at Princess Eugenie's wedding
Can you blame Prince George for getting a bit cheeky at Princess Eugenie's wedding in 2018?
That was the same year he'd already been included in the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The young royal was caught giggling and gossiping away with other members of the wedding party.
Prince Louis's first Trooping the Colour
Prince Louis has a history of stealing the show at royal events, and it started young.
In 2019, Louis joined his whole family - Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George and Princess Charlotte - for his first Trooping the Colour.
While fans are usually more interested in seeing Kate Middleton's best style moments at these huge events, Louis completely stole the show with his adorable and amusing facial expressions.
Princess Beatrice goes for Princess Diana's hat
During Trooping the Colour in 1990, a young Princess Beatrice was full of beans and couldn't control her excitement.
Not only was the young princess caught trying to pinch Princess Diana's hat, resurfaced social media clips showed her nearly throwing a glove from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
When the clips resurfaced on TikTok, fans loved seeing the princess acting out - and how fast Princess Diana reacted, showing off those quick mum reflexes.
Prince Louis lets his feelings known
Trooping the Colour 2022 ended up being memorable for an unexpected reason - Prince Louis.
The young royal joined his family the annual parade, but, for once, the likes of Kate Middleton's style and the late Queen Elizabeth's iconic appearances weren't the focus.
Instead, Prince Louis's hilariously unfiltered reaction to the military flypast stole the show, as he covered his ears and pulled some dramatic facial expressions.
Young cousins peeking out at the palace, 1988
For most people, Buckingham Palace is a place of wonder and awe, and there are plenty of surprising facts about the royal palaces that back that thinking up.
However, for Prince William and Zara Tindall, it was just where their grandparents lived.
Looking bored, the young royals were caught peeking out of a window in 1988.
Prince George and Queen Elizabeth share a moment
The late Queen Elizabeth was marking a historic 70 years on the throne in 2022, with the nation coming together for a series of Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
While appearing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, a sweet moment between different generations stole the show. Prince George, who will one day be sovereign, smiled and chatted away to his great-grandmother.
The moment would become important for other reasons, as George joining Her Majesty would end up being the final ever time fans would see Queen Elizabeth on the balcony of Buckingham Palace before her passing on September 8, 2022.
Prince George melts hearts
During a royal tour to Poland and Germany in 2017, Prince William and Kate Middleton brought Prince George and Princess Charlotte with them.
While William and Kate's tour moments over the years have been iconic in their own right, George completely stole the show with a series of joyful and heart-warming photos.
The young prince was photographed visiting German helicopters and looked utterly delighted by it all. Perhaps, like his father who was an air ambulance pilot, George will have a future in aviation.
Prince Louis with his grandpa
He's King Charles III to most people, but to Prince Louis, he's just his grandfather. And the young royal stole hearts - and the show - when he simply couldn't resist sitting on his grandfather's lap during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022.
It was a touching moment and captured King Charles's special bond with his grandchildren.
In 2013, King Charles opened up about how he feels about being a grandparent. Speaking with the Telegraph, he said that being a grandparent is a "different part of your life."
He added, "Show them things to take their interest. My grandmother did that; she was wonderful. It is very important to create a bond when they are very young."
Lena Tindall's energetic Christmas morning, 2023
Lena Tindall is the youngest daughter (and middle child) of Mike and Zara Tindall - and, like her sporty parents, she's clearly full of energy.
During the Sandringham Christmas walkabout in 2023, Lena stole the show when she was caught playfighting with her father and generally just being full of enthusiasm and excitement.
Prince Louis at the Together at Christmas carol concert
It was the Princess of Wales's third annual Christmas Carol concert at Westminster Abbey in 2023, but all eyes were on her youngest child, Prince Louis, who got to join in the fun for the first time.
Louis seemed to love everything about the festivities, but his famed cheekiness came about when he was caught trying to blow out his candle mid-service. He also tried to blow out Charlotte's as they left the church later on.
Talk about classic youngest child behaviour.
Savannah Phillips and Prince George joke around
Prince George may be a future heir to the throne, but to Savannah Phillips, he's probably just her annoying younger cousin. (To be pedantic, they aren't technically cousins, but first cousins once removed, as Savannah is the oldest daughter of Prince William's cousin, Peter Phillips).
Either way, the young royals clearly are close as they enjoyed some joking around at Trooping the Colour, with Savannah having enough of George and trying to shush him up.
Prince William upstages Harry's christening
Is this where the tension between Prince William and Prince Harry really started?
Probably not, but it is a funny example of Prince William accidentally stealing the spotlight from his younger brother.
As the royal family came together to take photos after Prince Harry's christening, a young William decided to take centre stage. Seemingly dancing in the middle of the room, the adoring eyes of the older royals are all on him rather than baby Prince Harry.
Prince George's first tour appearance upstages his mum
Prince George wasn't even a full one-year-old when he proved he could effortlessly steal the show *and* go on a royal tour to the other side of the world.
A baby George joined his parents - Prince William and Kate Middleton - for their royal visit to New Zealand and Australia.
While most people are usually focused on the Princess of Wales and her fashion during these things, George - with his chubby cheeks and hilariously expressive face - completely upstaged everyone.
Princess Charlotte's smile steals the show
Princess Charlotte flashed a huge, heart-warming smile during a family outing in 2022.
The young princess was full of contagious joy as she got to conduct a band alongside her older brother, Prince George, during a visit to Cardiff Castle in honour of the Platinum Jubilee year.
Prince Louis turns on the charm
During the Platinum Jubilee Pageant in 2022, Prince Louis basically upstaged everyone with a wide range of reactions and antics... and not all of them were well-behaved.
Perhaps because he was being a bit of a pain for his mum, Kate Middleton, during parts of the ceremony, the young royal decided to turn on the charm to get in her good graces.
A classic younger child move, and one that appeared to work, as Louis snuggled up to his mum acting as if butter wouldn't melt. Even if she was annoyed inside, this picture captures a super sweet moment between Kate and her children.
Princess Charlotte yells at the paparazzi
Princess Charlotte might look like sugar and spice, but she proved she's also made of sass during her younger brother's christening in 2018.
Business Insider reported that the young princess was not keen on sharing the special family moment with the paparazzi, and she shouted at the crowd, "You're not coming!" A cutting but true remark!
Prince Louis has a ball at Trooping the Colour, 2023
Prince Louis joined his parents, Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, alongside his siblings, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, in 2023 to celebrate his grandfather's first birthday parade as sovereign.
However, the King's special moment was slightly upstaged by his young grandson who delighted people all across the world with his hilarious reactions to the parade.
Prince George finds his feet - and keeps mum on her toes
During a charity polo match in 2015, the action on the pitch was eclipsed by the antics happening on the sidelines.
A young Prince George, who was just two at the time, proved that he had found his feet as he struggled to sit still and kept his mum, the Princess of Wales, busy chasing him around.
The cute toddler, looking smart in a blue cardigan, was fully in charge, having Kate follow him around as he rolled around, ran up the hills and generally showed off the boundless energy only two-year-olds seem to have.
Prince George's bathrobe upstages even President Obama
It's hard to steal the show from the President of the United States when they come to town. And in 2016, that President was Barack Obama, joined by First Lady Michelle Obama.
A true power couple, even they were upstaged, and it was all thanks to... a bathrobe.
During their visit to the United Kingdom, Barack and Michelle visited Kensington Palace to dine with Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales. They also got to meet Prince George, who was already bathed and ready for bed.
Prince Louis gets cheeky at the Platinum Jubilee
Prince Louis's cheeky reactions are often a highlight of royal events, but during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant in 2022, the young rambunctious royal nearly crossed the line from cheeky to naughty.
Sat with his mum, Catherine, Princess of Wales, his excitement got the best of him and he ended up trying to shush her, placing a hand over her mouth.
Of course, there were plenty of mixed reactions to the moment on social media, but Louis did redeem himself in the end and cuddled up to his mum as he calmed down.
Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte's cute Christmas moment
On Christmas 2022, Prince Louis stole the show simply by being there - the youngest child of the Prince and Princess of Wales got to attend his very first Sandringham Walkabout.
If fans weren't already excited enough by Louis completing the Wales's family moment, Louis and Charlotte made hearts melt with their sibling bond.
Clearly finding comfort in his older sister, Louis didn't want to be too far from her as they collected gifts from the crowd. In a viral clip on social media at the time, Louis was shown frantically running after his sister and shouting out her name before handing her the bouquet of flowers a well-wisher gave him.
Prince Louis is the sassiest
Prince Louis proved that he's basically a walking meme factory after his spotlight-stealing moment during the Platinum Jubilee in 2022.
From wriggling around in his chair, trying to shush his own mother, and being jokingly told off by Mike Tindall, Louis was having quite the day.
And he summed up his mood with this definitive sassy pose, sending the message that nothing - and no one - was going to stop him!
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