William 'Replaces Prince Louis For the Night' With Viral Concert Hijinks

Prince William's mischief-making at the coronation concert has reminded social-media users of that displayed by his youngest son, Prince Louis, during recent royal events.

The Prince of Wales attended the special coronation concert hosted for 20,000 members of the public in the grounds of Windsor Castle, Berkshire, England, on Sunday. It was also attended by King Charles III; Queen Camilla; William's wife, Kate Middleton; and the couple's two eldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

Broadcast in Britain and around the Commonwealth, the concert featured brief glimpses into the royal box. William's joking interaction with Prince George was uploaded to video-sharing social-media platform TikTok, where it has received over 10 million views.

Captioned, "but did anyone else spot this?" and "Prince William tickling Prince George with a flag," the clip, posted by the.royal.watcher, has received almost 500,000 likes. Many of the 2,600 comments praise the royal and compare him to his youngest son. "Prince William replaces Prince Louis for the night," wrote one user.

"Prince George be like.. dad there are people here, I'm the future king...," posted another, with a third comment reading: "Hhhmm. little Prince Louis gets his cheeky side from his father. I remember William as a child he was a little terror."

While William's interaction got social-media users talking, it was 5-year-old Louis who stole the show during the coronation. The prince attended the Westminster Abbey crowning of his grandfather King Charles III in London on Saturday, May 6. He was kept under the watchful eye of his older sister, Charlotte.

Louis made headlines in 2022 during the Platinum Jubilee for his cheeky antics during his Buckingham Palace balcony appearances and at the jubilee pageant with his mother, Kate.

During the coronation balcony appearance, Louis once again became the focus of attention by dancing as the flypast came over The Mall in London. The prince was the subject of a series of social-media videos.

Louis also stole the show at the coronation "Big Help Out" community event attended by William, Kate and their family on May 8.

The royals helped renovate a Boy Scouts hut near their home at Windsor Castle and took part in activities planned for local children. One of these saw Louis and his siblings making s'mores, with the prince's delighted reaction again being shared widely on social media.

During the coronation weekend, William and Kate undertook several high-profile public engagements. These included attending receptions for the world leaders and dignitaries who descended on London for the event.

At the coronation service, William swore allegiance to his father, as well as assisting in the ceremony and participating in the royal procession from the abbey. The centerpiece of the prince's weekend was his speech delivered during the coronation concert, dedicated to his father.

"As my grandmother said when she was crowned, coronations are a declaration of our hopes for the future. And I know she's up there, fondly keeping an eye on us. And she would be a very proud mother," he said in reference to the new king. William finished with a dedication of his own, to serve in his new capacity as Prince of Wales and the next monarch in line.

"I commit myself to serve you all—king, country and Commonwealth," he said. "God save the King!"

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

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