WHENEVER Prince Louis steps out in public he steals the show, and today was no exception.
The seven-year-old royal appeared in high spirits at Trooping the Colour and eagle-eyed fans spotted one cheeky moment in particular with Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh.
Prince Louis was seen pulling a silly face at Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, at Trooping the Colour[/caption]
Sophie and Louis on the balcony near Horse Guards Parade during Trooping The Colour[/caption]
Sophie appeared to be keeping Louis entertained during today’s proceedings[/caption]
As the pair sat down either side of Princess Charlotte, 10, they temporarily leaned round the back of their chairs for a fun-filled encounter.
Prince Louis could be seen pulling a comical expression at Sophie, who appeared to be playfully keeping him entertained.
Earlier in the day, Prince George and Louis appeared to share a laugh during the Trooping the Colour parade.
George, 11, was spotted chuckling with his younger brother Louis as they made their way back to Buckingham Palace.
George was forced to cover his face and stifle a laugh as the brothers travelled past jubilant crowds in a horse-drawn carriage.
Mischievous Prince Louis, who often entertains royal fans with his antics, was also seen grinning.
It comes after a lip reader revealed to The Sun the sweet question Louis asked his older brother as the royals arrived today.
The two brothers were seen grinning and locked in conversation as the open carriage rolled along the Mall on a glorious sunny morning.
The expert claims Louis asked George: “Should I wave?”
George then turned to his younger brother and is said to have replied: “It’s up to you, I can’t believe how sunny it is.”
They were joined in the carriage by mum Kate and Princess Charlotte, 10, who stunned as they wore matching blue and white outfits, peering out at the eager crowds.
This year was Charles’ third Trooping the Colour parade as monarch.
The royals later watched in awe from Buckingham Palace’s balcony as nine RAF aircraft flew over in the royal flypast.
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, looked elegant in a dark green ensemble as she joined Prince Edward[/caption]
The Wales family looked captivated by the flypast[/caption]
The royals waved to the crowds as they stood on the balcony at Buckingham Palace[/caption]
HELPING HAND
Sophie, who is the wife of King Charles’ youngest brother, Prince Edward, has become a “pillar of strength” for the Wales family.
When Kate stepped back from public life following her cancer diagnosis, Sophie – mum to Lady Louise and James, Earl of Wessex, was the first to take on some of her engagements.
“That sort of pragmatism, a genuine desire to help and support someone who has been knocked off kilter, is pure Sophie,” says a senior royal source.
“It really helped William and Kate, obviously in a practical way, but also knowing Sophie could always be relied upon to give her support whenever it was needed.”
Last week, Sophie joined Prince William for a joint engagement in Cornwall[/caption]
And that support was extended to the Wales’s children, with ‘Aunt Sophie’ arranging picnics and playdates at Bagshot for George, Louis and Charlotte, during the times when Kate needed to rest after her debilitating sessions of chemotherapy.
Despite their 18-year age gap, Sophie’s relationship with Kate – which has always been warm – has deepened in the last year.
Her support for the princess was evident on Remembrance Sunday, when Kate looked to be on the verge of tears at the end of the service at the Cenotaph.
Sophie simply placed her hand on Kate’s shoulder as the pair made their way from a balcony.
The warmth of her gesture displayed not just the comfort from a family member, but also the empathy of a compassionate friend.
Sophie and Prince Edward’s royal romance
When Sophie met Edward in 1987 she was a PR for Capital Radio, but it was six years before they started dating.
They then began a romance in earnest, but went to great lengths to avoid photographers, especially when Sophie began staying overnight at Edward’s three-room apartment in Buckingham Palace. When calling Sophie at her office, the Prince would use the name Richard — not that he fooled her colleagues for long.
Six years after they started going out, Edward proposed, with a £105,000 ring from Crown jewellers Garrard.
Starting a family was not straightforward. In 2001 Sophie suffered an ectopic pregnancy.
In 2003, the birth of daughter Louise was similarly dramatic. The baby was a month premature and Sophie lost nine pints of blood, had a caesarean and was in hospital for 15 days. In 2007 she had another caesarean giving birth to son James.
