Prince George, Princess Charlotte's Sweet Balcony Moment Seen in Viral Clip

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A sweet exchange between Prince George and Princess Charlotte, caught as they stood on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with Queen Elizabeth II during Platinum Jubilee celebrations, has gone viral online.

The video, posted to TikTok by Hello!, has been viewed more than 5 million times and has received 136,000 likes. It shows George, 8, and Charlotte, 7, reacting to colored flares that were set off after the national anthem was played at Sunday's jubilee pageant.

The exchange took place during the second of the queen's jubilee balcony appearances marking the end of the weekend of celebrations for her historic 70-year reign, a milestone not previously achieved in the 1000-year history of the British monarchy.

Prince George Princess Charlotte Buckingham Palace Balcony
Prince George, left, and Princess Charlotte, right, are pictured during Platinum Jubilee celebrations in London on June 5, 2022. A sweet moment between the prince and princess captured on the balcony of Buckingham Palace has... Chris Jackson/WPA Pool/Getty Images

In the viral video, George and Charlotte are shown standing on Buckingham Palace's balcony in front of their father, Prince William. As cannons released streams of red, white and blue flares into the skies Charlotte is seen to be visibly startled as she turns to brother, George, to say: "that made me jump."

George, third in line to the throne, is seen asking his sister, "did that make you jump?" before smiling as William checked on his children asking: "are you alright guys?"

The intimate lighthearted moment between the siblings is just one of a number by the Cambridge children captured throughout the jubilee celebrations that caused commenters online and in the media to state that they stole the show.

As well as the flare moment shown in the viral TikTok video, clips also show Charlotte reminding George to keep his hands by his sides on the palace balcony as well as a moment at Trooping the Colour where Charlotte was seen searching through step-grandmother Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall's handbag—presumably for candy.

Despite the many notable moments captured of George and Charlotte it was their younger sibling Louis who attracted the most attention for his rambunctious behavior during the jubilee pageant on Sunday.

Louis, 4, was seated beside his mother for the event which included a military salute taken by Prince Charles and appearances from representatives of Commonwealth nations and stars of stage and screen. The young prince found it difficult to sit still and moved from lap to lap between his mother, father and grandfather, Charles.

A moment where the 4-year-old was seen arguing with his mother and covering her mouth with his hand has been widely commented on in the media and online, with some criticizing William and Kate's parenting. Some have also claimed that the prince's behavior would not be viewed so positively if he had been Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son, Archie.

Prince Louis Kate Middleton Jubilee Pageant Hand
Prince Louis was photographed putting his hand over mother Kate Middleton's mouth on June 5, 2022, sparking online debate over the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's parenting style. Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Many voices have spoken out against this narrative including television "Supernanny" and childcare expert, Jo Frost. On Instagram Frost posted:

"Regardless to what the press seem to of latched onto today, I believe little Prince Louis behaved remarkably well over the whole weekend of much spectacular fanfare!"

She added: "I'm more impressed with how the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge continue to be such impressive parenting role models to our modern parents today, they are open about their own struggles as parents and like all parents out there continue to strive to do their very best in raising their young.

"Catherine has never been one to shy away from publicly giving her children a fair telling off to behave and that's a sign of a confident parent who is able to hold boundaries whilst empathetically meeting her children's needs as well as understanding the circumstances."

The Cambridge's themselves seem to have taken the comments about Louis in good humor. In a post to their social media channels marking the end of the jubilee celebrations and thanking the public for its support the couple said:

"Thank you to everyone who turned out to show their gratitude to The Queen and her inspiring 70 years of leadership. From the crowds on the Mall to communities hosting street parties up and down the country, we hope you had a weekend to remember.

"We all had an incredible time, especially Louis..."

The couple closed their post with an emoji showing a pair of eyes looking to one side. Dictionary.com defines this emoji as mostly serving "to draw attention to something the user wants to highlight, especially in situations that involve drama and interpersonal tension."

The royals then signed the post "W&C" distinguishing it from other social media posts as having been personally written by themselves.

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About the writer

James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family and royal fashion. He has covered contemporary and historic issues facing King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, the late Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana. James joined Newsweek in 2022 having previously contributed to titles such as The Lady, Majesty Magazine and Drapers. He also spent a number of years working with the curatorial department at Historic Royal Palaces, based at Kensington Palace, and contributed to the exhibitions Fashion Rules: Restyled (2016) and Diana: Her Fashion Story (2017). He also undertook private research projects with the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection. He is a graduate of University College London and Central Saint Martins, where he studied fashion history. Languages: English.

You can get in touch with James by emailing j.crawfordsmith@newsweek.com.


James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more