Prince William and Princess Charlotte's Father-Daughter Moment Goes Viral

Prince William and Princess Charlotte have become the focus of a new viral video. Eagle-eyed fans took to social media to share a touching moment between the father and daughter on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Trooping the Colour celebrations.

Charlotte, who turned 8 in May, attended the ceremony in London on June 17 alongside her siblings, Prince George, 9, and Prince Louis, 5, and their parents William and Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales.

Trooping the Colour is an annual event marking the monarch's official birthday each June. This year marked the first Trooping event of King Charles III's reign, which began in September 2022. The ceremony included the traditional royal family balcony appearance at Buckingham Palace, with a Royal Air Force flypast over London.

Uploaded to TikTok by user, catherinegulgapar, on Sunday, news footage captured during the balcony appearance caught a touching moment between Charlotte and William, as the little princess wrapped her father's arms around her shoulders while holding onto his hands.

Viewed over half a million times and receiving more than 35,000 likes and 300 comments, the video also shows the Princess of Wales animatedly talking to George and Louis, as well as William petting his daughter on the head at the same event.

A number of commenters have praised the Wales family in the clip, noting Charlotte's special attachment to her father.

"Maybe it's just me but this is the most relaxed they have looked on the balcony in a long time. And I love how much Charlotte loves her papa," wrote one user.

"That is priceless. Body language speaks volumes," said another, with a further comment reading: "The look on Will's face when charlotte grabs hand. So sweet!"

The bond between William and his daughter has been noted on a number of other public occasions, with the prince himself appearing shocked at an engagement in 2020 at the physical likeness shared by the pair.

During a joint engagement with Kate at the Khidmat Centre, in Bradford, England, in January 2020, William pointed to a photo of himself from childhood and highlighted how alike he and Charlotte are.

"Is that me?" he said. "Doesn't it look like Charlotte? Doesn't it look like Charlotte? Is that me? Oh, my goodness. Is that me? That looks just like Charlotte. That's incredible. I haven't seen that before. Very alike similarity."

Over the past year and a half, Charlotte has seen her number of public appearances increase, including the Platinum Jubilee celebrations and then the state funeral for her great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 2022.

The princess also undertook her first solo engagement with her parents in 2022, to watch events connected with the Commonwealth Games that were held in Birmingham, England.

The princess was flown to the event by her father, who is an army trained helicopter pilot, and met members of the SportsAid charity connected with her mother, Kate, who is patron.

The most high-profile event Charlotte has recently attended was the coronation of her grandfather, Charles, on May 6, 2023 at Westminster Abbey in London.

The princess walked into the abbey with her parents and younger brother, Louis, and was dressed in a special "mini-me" style outfit, matching her mother's Alexander McQueen gown.

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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