Princess Charlotte was Catherine's mini-me at her carol service - this small moment caught my eye

It’s been six months since we last saw the Prince and Princess of Wales’s children in public and we were spoiled with cute moments at this year’s Together at Christmas carol service. The kids started going with William and Catherine in 2022 and this year Princess Charlotte looked more grown-up and like her mum’s mini-me than ever.

Although many fans have been quick to point out Louis’s strong resemblance to the Princess of Wales, Charlotte also looks more like Catherine the older she gets. Her long, flowing hair is slightly lighter, but similarly styled in soft waves and when her mum debuted her golden highlights in September, the tones were almost identical.

The bow the 10-year-old wore to the service also reminded me of the one on Catherine’s coat in 2024 and the mum-of-three has worn bows in her hair several times this year too, including a gorgeous deep red velvet one.

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Clearly, her signature style is inspiring Charlotte who is old enough by now to have an input in what she wears to such big royal occasions. Over the years the two Princesses have also matched each other’s outfit colours plenty of times at Together at Christmas, as well as other royal occasions like Trooping the Colour.

It’s subtle but sweet, and their close mother-daughter bond was unmissable at the carol service. The future Queen might be the host, but she is also always there offering encouragement and support to her children throughout the event.

She arrived early to greet guests and when the Wales family arrived at Westminster Abbey, Catherine and Charlotte were pictured beaming at each other. The royal mum also reached out in a gesture that drew her daughter in close in a candid moment as she guided her and her siblings indoors for the service.

The young Princess has always been confident at these kinds of high-profile occasions, knowing all the protocols and conducting herself with poise and grace. These are all qualities her mum is known for too and growing up as the only daughter in the Wales family, Charlotte probably looks to Catherine as a royal role model.

They also share a lot of interests in common, including tennis, leading to several special joint Wimbledon appearances. In July 2024, the Princess of Wales brought Princess Charlotte with her to watch the Men’s Singles Final after apparently making her daughter a heartfelt promise.

"It was a long-held promise that Kate would take Charlotte to the finals as a special treat," royal author Ingrid Seward claimed. "Kate felt guilty she hadn’t been able to spend as much time as she would have liked to be with the kids because of her exhaustion after her treatment."

Family is everything to the Princess of Wales and her delighted reaction to seeing Princess Charlotte at the Abbey after what was presumably only hours of being apart that day makes this so clear. The service celebrates the connections that shape people’s lives and the specific theme for this year’s event was love in all its forms.

It couldn’t be more fitting that we got to see Catherine’s loving interactions with her children, showing how much they mean to her.