Princess Charlotte stole the show at Trooping the Colour, with body language expert Judi James claiming the 11-year-old royal is quickly becoming the monarchy’s “newest star”.
Charlotte appeared poised and confident as she joined King Charles III, Queen Camilla and other senior royals at the annual parade celebrating the monarch’s official birthday on Saturday.
Dressed in a white Alessandra Rich dress paired with a matching hair bow and ballet flats, Charlotte sat between her brothers, Prince George, 12, and Prince Louis, eight, while facing her mother, Princess Catherine, 44, as the family travelled along The Mall in a horse-drawn carriage.
Prince William, 43, rode on horseback during the procession before joining the rest of the senior royals on the Buckingham Palace balcony for the Royal Air Force flypast.
When they first stepped onto the balcony, Charlotte was guided by her mother, Catherine, who used a subtle hand gesture to encourage her to move closer to the centre of the family.
The young royal positioned herself with perfect grace and stood attentively during the British national anthem.
According to Ms James, Charlotte’s behaviour throughout the day set her apart.
“Charlotte is now officially the one who does all the heavy lifting in terms of sweetly stepping up into a star role at formal royal events like this,” the body language expert told the Express UK.
“While Louis waved away happily and George grinned but rationed his waves, Charlotte leaned forward and turned to both sides to ensure every member of the waiting crowds got a wave of recognition from her.”
James added: “Charlotte began by synchronising with her mother’s waves, but as Kate sat watching with an expression of pride, her daughter continued to instigate her own ‘tie-sign’ waves to connect with the royal fans, even chatting to George and appearing to encourage his ongoing interest by pointing things out.”
Royal fans appeared to agree with Ms James’ assessment, taking to social media to praise the young princess.
One user wrote on X: “The way Princess Charlotte immediately stood to attention at the first notes of the national anthem yesterday – far quicker than everyone else in her family! She’s such a little star.”
“Princess Charlotte is out there being the main character,” said another, while a third wrote: “Amazing… Charlotte is a mix of QE2 and Diana.”
“Princess Charlotte embodies the spirit of Queen Elizabeth in the modern era,” a fourth penned.
Charlotte, who celebrated her 11th birthday on May 2, has long been recognised for her confidence and maturity, often appearing to keep her brothers in check during public engagements.
Thanks to the Perth Agreement, which ended male-preference primogeniture in 2011, Charlotte remains third in line to the throne behind her father, Prince William, and older brother, Prince George, while ranking ahead of her younger brother, Prince Louis.
She is also uniquely placed to one day receive the prestigious title of Princess Royal, although it cannot be bestowed while the current holder, 75-year-old Princess Anne, remains alive.