LONDON—It is no easy to task to overshadow the most famous woman in the world, especially when she is making a feverishly awaited return to public view after a six-month absence.
But Prince William and Kate Middleton’s youngest child, Prince Louis, 6, managed it Saturday—and didn’t even resort to pulling one of his famous funny faces, apart from the odd yawn.
Instead, the young prince broke the internet by breaking into a boogie while watching a military marching band at Trooping the Colour.
ADVERTISEMENT
The hilarious footage of Louis, arms tucked behind his back as he swayed to the music, bopping like Prince Harry waiting for a drink at the bar of a noughties Chelsea nightclub, looks set to join the canon of classic moments where Louis’ fun-loving antics have popped the bubble of royal formality.
And every older sibling who has ever been exasperated by an irritating little brother will have related to his sister Princess Charlotte’s reaction. The army of professional lip readers employed by the British tabloid newspapers have yet to reveal exactly what she said, but to the amateur eye it looked like something akin to, “Cut it out, squirt!”
Louis danced his cares away as he, his mother and siblings watched his father and grandfather participate in the military parade honoring King Charles’ birthday from the upstairs window of a Whitehall building overlooking the parade ground.
The Wales family group then travelled by carriage back to Buckingham Palace while Prince William rode, in driving rain, on horseback.

Prince George of Wales, Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Louis of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales during Trooping the Colour at Buckingham Palace on June 15, 2024 in London, England.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Trooping the Colour, June 15, 2024.
Jonathan Brady/PA Images via Getty ImagesLouis later appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony with the rest of the royals for a flypast by assorted planes of the Royal Air Force, but there was no repeat of 2019’s funny face pulling (or the moment when he pretended to be flying one of the aeroplanes himself).

Trooping the Colour, June 2, 2022.
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty ImagesTrooping the Colour 2022 was Louis’s peak funny face moment, when he covered his ears as the Red Arrows, the aerial acrobatics division of the Royal Air Force, zoomed overhead—all while standing next to the imperturbable figure of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Trooping the Colour, June 2, 2022.
Daniel Leal/Getty Images