With the young children of the Prince and Princess of Wales out in force on Christmas Day to greet royal fans at Sandringham, former BBC royal correspondent was particularly struck by one huge difference with Princess Charlotte
On Christmas Day, hundreds of royal fans flocked to Sandringham to catch a glimpse of the Royal Family as they made their way to St Mary Magdalene Church for the annual festive service. The family stopped and chatted to well wishers who had camped out for hours, wishing dedicated fans a very happy festive season.
Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis joined their parents on the walk, with the young royals seeming more confident than ever in their rare appearance. While the siblings have joined the Prince and Princess of Wales on royal outings over the years, they rarely interact with members of the public.
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George, Charlotte and Louis all spoke with excited royal fans, accepting gifts and shaking hands with those lining up to catch a glimpse of the Royal Family. And according to former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond, the newfound confidence of the young royals all comes down to their parents.
Jennie told the Mirror: “The children are an absolute delight to see at occasions like this. I think William and Catherine have done a wonderful job in acclimatising all three children to public life.”
While all three royal siblings seemed excited and jovial to speak with members of the public, Jennie noticed a major change in 10-year-old Princess Charlotte, saying: “I was struck, in particular, by how confident young Charlotte seemed on Christmas Day.
“She was launching into the crowd by herself, no longer with her mother’s guiding hand on her shoulder, chatting with the well-wishers who’d gathered, bending down to shake hands with wheelchair users, and even giving one or two members of the crowd a big hug.”
Jennie said that Charlotte’s brothers George and Louis also seemed more confident than ever as they made their way through the crowd, with young Louis’ signature cheeky nature being proudly on display.
She said: “George, meanwhile, seemed full of the joys of Christmas and was happy to pose for photos by himself. Louis, meanwhile, was showing his dad who was boss by refusing to don a woolly hat which a member of the public had handed to William. It was a charming family scene, and the Wales’s took longer than any of the others to work their way along the crowds.”
With George, Charlotte and Louis making more and more public appearances over the last year, Jennie believes that while the children are still young, they are no doubt being coached behind the scenes by their parents, Prince William and Princess Kate.
However, despite recent appearances and given the children’s young ages, the royal expert said that royal watchers shouldn’t get too used to seeing George, Charlotte and Louis too often.
“I think the Prince and Princess of Wales are doing a sterling job in giving the press and public just enough access to the children to satisfy curiosity,” Jennie said. “But I’m sure that their main priority is their children’s well-being and how comfortable they do or don’t feel with attending public events, and I think that will continue to be their strategy.”
“So we’ll no doubt see the whole family out and about at a few occasions in the coming year, but it’s way too early for them to be on more frequent public display.”
