Prince Louis stole the show in London Monday at an event commemorating the defeat of the Nazis, as Britain’s royals sought to erase all thoughts of troublesome exile Prince Harry.
The 7-year-old Prince Louis, who has a reputation for alleviating the solemnity of official events by pulling funny faces, was on hand to keep the crowds entertained from the stands and later the Buckingham Palace balcony.
He ducked, pointed, and waved at the crowds as the British aerobatic team, the Red Arrows, painted the gray London skies red, white, and blue to mark the day.
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Earlier, he had helped his father, Prince William, stay smart by giving his uniform a quick brush down during the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, which marks the fall of Berlin in 1945.
The young royal joined his future king father, 43, and his siblings George and Charlotte at the palace ahead of the marquee event kicking off four days of celebrations for the 80th VE Day.
Prince Harry, one of the few living royals to have seen active military service, was not invited to the event. He gave a scathing interview about his family to the BBC on Friday and the palace had briefed they didn’t want his intervention to “distract” from today’s celebrations.
Seated beside his father, who was dressed in full military regalia, Louis was seen cheekily brushing down the shoulder of William’s jacket—an endearing moment that didn’t go unnoticed by news cameras.
Senior royals joined thousands of members of the public, watching a military procession through the streets of London.
Kate arrived with Charlotte and Louis, while King Charles and Queen Camilla followed shortly after, waving to the cheering crowds from their vehicle before joining the rest of the family.
Palace sources had briefed the media that they didn’t want any Harry-shaped distractions from the long-planned event, which included a Royal Air Force flypast and balcony appearance by palace big guns alongside Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, and British news organizations, in general, tactfully complied.
The young royals were surprise, last-minute attendees. It was their first official joint appearance since Christmas.
Thousands of Britons descended on the Mall and Buckingham Palace, in a recreation of the iconic scenes of May 1945, when jubilant crowds thronged the streets of London.
Among the cheering masses back then were two young princesses: Margaret and her sister Elizabeth, later the queen, who slipped out of the palace to join the crowd and experience the jubilation.
