Prince Louis has had a very hectic – though fun – spring and beginning of summer along with his parents and siblings. Not only did he get to attend his grandfather King Charles’ coronation, but he also got to wave to members of the public from the Buckingham Palace balcony during the Trooping the Colour celebrations, as well as join his siblings for the procession.
The young prince, who celebrated his birthday some weeks ago, has been witnessed heckling his mother and pulling plenty of funny faces during the course of his young life. He has become a favorite of many, and we count ourselves among those who are excited to see what the future holds for him.
That said, one royal expert has sent a chilling warning as to how Louis’ life might quickly take a turn for the worse.
Prince Louis celebrated his fifth birthday in April. The young prince – who’s behind only his two siblings, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, and father, Prince William, in the line of succession – has swiftly become one of the most popular young royals in the eyes of the public.
Prince Louis – a fan favorite
After joining his family for several royal outings, pictures of him doing all kinds of ‘controversial’ things, including pulling funny faces, have kept the public well entertained. On occasion, his mother, Kate Middleton, has even been seen instructing him to behave.
Of course, we must never forget that children will always be children, royal or not. Like his siblings and cousins, Prince Louis does all the things that children love, which includes acting out a little sometimes.
For his last royal outing – appearing alongside William, Kate, George, and Charlotte – at the Trooping the Colour to celebrate King Charles’ first birthday as monarch, Prince Louis stole everyone’s hearts once again. Yet while he has become undoubtedly popular, a royal expert has issued a warning regarding how Louis is portrayed.
During their carriage ride for the Trooping the Colour celebrations, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis greeted the crowd of around 8,000 onlookers who had come to celebrate King Charles’ ‘birthday.’
Prince George and Prince Louis donned a navy jacket with a red tie, while Princess Charlotte wore a sweet white dress with red accents. All three children were well-behaved and smiled at the crowd. That was until Prince Louis again took it upon himself to become the main character.
At one point, Louis was pictured either holding a sneeze, trying not to laugh openly, or simply reacting to a bad smell
During the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebration last year, Prince Louis was caught sticking out his tongue at his mother and pulling a series of faces.
Princess Kate use ‘secret code’ to calm Prince Louis and his siblings
But it turns out that Kate Middleton has a secret code phrase for her children to get them to calm down. Apparently, it works every time.
“When Prince Louis misbehaved at the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, for example, by sticking his tongue out at his mother, Kate’s reaction was praised by teams of expert commentators,” author Tom Quinn wrote in his book Gilded Youth: An Intimate History of Growing Up In The Royal Family.
“She apparently used a secret code to calm the children, as she does on occasions — she simply says, ‘Let’s take a break’. But as a former staffer explained, the children know these few words carry far more weight than we might imagine.”
Given his standing in line of succession, it’s unlikely that Prince Louis will ever be king. His older brother, Prince George, is next in line after Prince William, after all. though that doesn’t mean Louis won’t have a significant role in the Royal Family. William and Kate have been clear that they want to raise their children as normal as possible, which might indicate that he will go down another path, but there is every chance he will feature prominently in the future reins of his father and brother.
That said, royal author and expert Katie Nicholl insists that Louis could become a “private citizen” rather than a full-time working royal. It certainly makes sense, considering King Charles is said to be keen on cutting down the number of working royals moving forward in a bid to save money.
But while Louis might not be a working royal in the future, Nicholl argues that he could still have a role at key events.
The young prince could become a non-working royal family member
The Queen’s grandchildren, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, and Zara Tindall, have often been involved in larger royal events of recent years, though they’re not considered full-time working royals.
“George, Charlotte, and Louis, who had starring roles at the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June [last year], are being raised by their parents with an awareness of their positions and the roles they will one day carry out in support of the monarchy,” Nicholl wrote in her book The New Royals.
“George knows that, like his papa, he will one day be king, while Charlotte will likely juggle the role of being the spare with a career. Louis could well be a private citizen undertaking occasional royal duties, like William and Harry’s cousins Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, as well as princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.”
Given that Louis has now turned five, he most likely has an understanding of what the fuss around his family is all about. Reports insist that William and Kate have started to make Prince George aware what expected of him, as well as what the future holds, so Louis surely has at least some idea of what royalty means.
But while the young boy is being raised according to royal custom and etiquette, his parents are said to treat him gently.
“William and Kate are easier on Louis because he’s the baby of the family. They don’t want to break his little spirit,” an insider told OK! Magazine.
“Louis is quite a handful,” the source added. “William and Kate do their best to teach him how to behave but understand these events are tiresome for a youngster. They are like other parents with young children in this way. It does make them more relatable to the public.”
Where does Prince Louis go to school?
“They gently admonish him when he gets out of hand because he’s got to learn,” the source said of George and Charlotte. “William and Kate know the day will come and making faces won’t be ‘cute.’ Hopefully Louis will grow out of it.”
Now, anyone who has elder siblings will know it can be both a gift and a curse. Older brothers and sisters can pick on the “little one”, but in the end they’ll usually also protect, supervise, and teach. Fortunately, Prince Louis gets to have his siblings close by every day, as they all go to the same school.
The distinguished, £21,000-a-year Lambrook School is providing the young royal trio with an excellent education. Of course, there will come a day when they will transfer to another school, and according to reports, Prince George already has his future school sorted out.
Lambrook has many activities for the children, including a 42-acre cricket ground, rugby and football pitches, an art building, and even a golf course. The fact that it’s located only a 15-minute walk from George, Charlotte, and Louis’s home makes it even more convenient.
While at the school, Louis can engage in various activities, including joining the debate team, horse riding, and caring for the school’s pigs and chickens.
According to royal expert Jennie Bond, Prince William and Kate Middleton want their children’s lives to be “as normal as possible.” At Lambrook, they are being taught not to depend on others.
Prince Louis featured on Glastonbury festival flag
It should go without saying that Lambrook is a prominent school with high tuition., The Royal Family can surely afford the expense, but that doesn’t mean William and Kate want their children to become spoiled.
At Lambrook, if pupils want to go on a school trip, they have to raise the money themselves and not get it from their parents.
It’s those values that the Prince and Princess of Wales want to instill in their children growing up, thus helping to keep them grounded.
“They want George, Charlotte, and Louis to be very aware of the privileged way in which they are growing up. Have a proper sense of empathy, charity, and responsibility,” Jennie Bond told OK! Magazine.
“It’s very much the Diana style of parenting. They want them to know how lucky they are and not take any of it for granted.”
As mentioned, Prince Louis has become a beloved member of the Royal Family member. On social media – and in the media itself – adorable pictures of the young prince have been in the spotlight for days. The funny face as he held his hands over his ears from last year’s Trooping the Colour even made it onto a flag which was seen in the audience at Glastonbury, one of the biggest music festivals in the world with around 20,000 visitors.
The crowd at the legendary music festival, arranged for the first time in 1970, is known for having big flags that can feature everything from a country’s flag to images of people. This year, Louis’ face made it onto one such flag.
Many thought it cute, and royal fans have enjoyed how the lovable pictures of him have gone viral.
Royal expert issues warning about Prince Louis’ feature
Even so, royal expert Daniela Elser takes a different viewpoint, issuing a chilling warning about how it may negatively affect his future.
“Put that kid in public, maybe in the vicinity of a military parade or out on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, and the five-year-old will guarantee Fleet Street’s photo editors a cheeky, charming shot,” Elser wrote. “Oh, it’s an adorable image, and you would have to be Cruella de Ville sans Dalmatians not to be thoroughly charmed and delighted by it.
“But I actually think, looking at that Glasto flag, that we have reached a tipping point – Louis has gone from royal kidlet to pop culture caricature, from child to entertaining character. Except he’s a boy, not a perpetual meme.”
Moreover, the royal expert added that if Louis is continuously portrayed as a funny character, we could end up with “another Prince Harry.”
“We owe it to Louis to not make a joke out of him, to not render him a punchline or a cartoonish figure,” Elser explained.
“And if we fail, 30 years from now, it will be him sitting on a couch and pouring out his hurt feelings to Oprah’s hologram.”