Prince Louis channeled his inner King Charles in remarkable Coronation photo

26 December 2023 , 23:00

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The black-and-white photo shows the-then Prince Charles in between his aunt, Princess Margaret, and grandmother, Elizabeth the Queen Mother (Image: Corbis via Getty Images)

An interesting photo of King Charles at Queen Elizabeth's coronation in 1953 shows that he, at one point, would've wanted to be someplace else.

The black-and-white photo shows the-then Prince Charles in between his aunt, Princess Margaret, and grandmother, Elizabeth the Queen Mother, as he rests his chin on his hands during the three-hour ceremony. Then just 4-years-old, the king-to-be looked quite bored in Westminster Abbey while wearing a frilly blouse with combed hair.

The Queen’s Coronation marked the start of her 70-year reign, and it was the first transfer of power in the British Royal Family that was broadcast on TV, drawing millions of viewers. She was only 25-years-old when her father, King George VI, died in 1952 and she ascended the throne.

King Charles' own coronation was well attended, with his children and grandchildren present, including Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5 – whose parents are Prince William and Kate Middleton. William had been photographed as an unenthusiastic attendee of royal events when he was a child.

Last summer, at the queen’s Platinum Jubilee, Louis stole the show. He stood up on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the queen’s flyover and certainly made his feelings known. During the engagement, he made several funny faces for the public – at some points, he cheekily covered his ears and covered his face with his hands.

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Last summer, at the queen’s Platinum Jubilee, Louis stole the show as he stood up on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the queen’s flyover (Getty Images)

The NYPost reported how the young royal also made some faces at the Jubilee Pageant Parade on the Buckingham Palace Mall. Sitting next to his mother, the young boy covered her mouth, stuck his tongue out at her and put his thumb on his nose, all of which went viral.

For the second year running, five-year-old Louis joined the rest of the royals for the service on Christmas Day at St Mary Magdalene's Church and he rocked tartan trousers and a navy coat as he clutched the hands of his dad Prince William and the oldest daughter of Mike and Zara Tindall. Shortly before 11am, the royals began making their way to church and also spotted was Princess Charlotte, who held hands with mum the Princess of Wales, with Prince George walking alongside looking smart in a suit.

And according to body language expert Judi James, the young prince looked delighted to be going to church. She told the Mirror: "Louis, like most small children on Christmas morning, looked excited but also impatient. Zara’s daughter had been given the job of anchoring his left hand while William held onto his right and even then he looked so excited he was pulling on his dad’s arm to get into the service.

"William placed a cupped hand on the back of Louis’s head in a gesture of affection but also of calming a child down. But even as he waited to do the greeting rituals with the clergy, Louis crossed one lower leg over the other as though keen to get launched into his Christmas Day."

Zesha Saleem