Cheeky Prince Louis Dubbed the 'Superstar' of Royal Christmas

Prince Louis has continued his reputation as a royal scene-stealer, which started during the late Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June, by winning over royal fans with his cheeky Christmas Day debut at King Charles' Sandringham celebrations.

The four-year-old prince attended the traditional royal Christmas service at St Mary Magdalene Church for the first time this year, accompanying the king and Queen Camilla, together with William, Kate, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and other members of the royal family.

After the service the royals met with members of the public who gathered outside the church to catch a glimpse of the family, this year with Louis holding onto the hand of his mother.

A number of clips of the prince's interactions with fans and other royals from the day have gone viral after being shared online.

One TikTok video, shared by user aroyalkate, which has been viewed over half a million times, hails Louis a "little superstar!"

"Hes so sweet full off mischief" said one commenter, with another drawing a comparison between his cheeky antics and those on display during the Platinum Jubilee: "Jubilee Louis has returned!!"

The prince became a viral sensation for his appearances at a concert outside Buckingham Palace and spectacular pageant honoring the Platinum Jubilee.

One standout moment saw the royal moving from lap-to-lap of his family members in the royal box as the three-hour pageant unfolded, eventually ending up sitting with his grandfather the then-Prince Charles.

In a more restless moment the prince visibly shushed his mother, which sparked a parenting debate online. Mike Tindall, who is married to a granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth and is a retired England rugby captain, later attributed the royal children's restlessness on the day to an excess of sugar from the number of candies behind-the-scenes.

Another moment from the royal's Christmas Day walkabout that caused royal fans to praise Louis on social media saw the young prince running through the string of family members to give his sister Princess Charlotte a bunch of flowers from a well-wisher.

Karen Anvil, a member of the public who became a media sensation after photographing William, Kate, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle together during Christmas celebrations in 2017, was on hand to capture the moment, posting it on Twitter with the caption: "#PriceLouis running back to Dad & his brother and sister... giving the security guards a heart attack in the process!!!"

In another clip captured by Anvil, Kate accepted flowers from a young girl who asked if she had had a nice morning.

"I've had a lovely morning," the royal responded, adding: "I had quite an early start this morning! As I'm sure you did."

As well as the Wales family and the king and queen, members of the royal family who attended the Christmas church service included; Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex; Zara and Mike Tindall; Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie and their families; as well as the children of Princess Margaret—Lord Snowdon and Lady Sarah Chatto.

One member of the family whose presence generated a considerable amount of discussion was Prince Andrew. The royal's career ended in disgrace following a sexual assault lawsuit filed by Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre in 2021. The royal was stripped of his roles and patronages in January before settling the lawsuit out of court for an undisclosed sum.

Despite this the prince maintains that the claims made against him were false.

Following the church service, the king's first Christmas speech as monarch was broadcast in which he paid an extended tribute to his late-mother Queen Elizabeth, as well as praising communities in what he described as a time of "great anxiety and hardship—be it for those around the world facing conflict, famine or natural disaster, or for those at home finding ways to pay their bills and keep their families fed and warm."

The king made reference to William and Kate's recent visit to Wales during his speech but did not reference Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, as the royal family deals with the fallout from the couple's hit Netflix docuseries and impeding release of Harry's tell-all memoir which will hit the shelves on January 10.

James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.