Let’s pretend the Platinum Jubilee, specifically Trooping the Colour, is any occasion ever orchestrated by a parent. The clothes are picked out, the itinerary is set, then right when it’s go time, cue your kid going off-script in every way imaginable. In other words, this was Kate Middleton’s day with Prince Louis—and, unfortunately for her, but fortunately for us—it was carried out front and center on the Buckingham Palace balcony, aka the royal stage.
Kate Middleton Was in Full-On Parenting Mode at Trooping the Colour
Published Jun 2, 2022
•5:41pm
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Let me back up for a minute. Prince Louis is four. He also was a total pro while riding in a horse-drawn carriage for the very first time and just before joining his great-great grandmother for her close-up on the balcony. (Did you see his efforts to master Princess Charlotte’s royal wave?) For all the parents watching, I wonder if we were thinking the same thing during that processional: 1) My goodness, Prince Louis is so well-behaved! and 2) I hope Kate and Wills (or someone on their team) applied sunscreen. (Seriously, the London sun was so bright, they had to squint.)
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But things took a turn when they got to the balcony. Enter Kate going into full on mom mode. Yes, she was dressed to the nines in Alexander McQueen (a fashion repeat), but that didn’t change the fact that she had to gently calm Prince Louis who, well, you’ve seen the memes.
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That’s where we got a bit of a master class. This was the moment: the photo op with the family that millions of royal watchers (in person and at home) had waited for, in many cases, overnight. With a zillion cameras watching, Kate laughed along, then ever-so-subtly bent her head, chatted with Louis and did her best to coax him into behaving for just five more minutes, even as he covered his ears (hey, it was loud!) and looked overwhelmed.
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Finally, when none of those tactics seemed to be working, she resorted to the method *all* parents rely on in a pinch: She tagged in Granny (OK, in this case, it was Great Granny Queen Elizabeth, the guest of honor toasting to 70 years on the throne) to help distract little Lou.
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Mission accomplished and moms around the world could breathe a collective sigh of relief that Kate made it through because, as I said, we’ve been there. But also, as with all things that go down with other people’s children: To the world, Louis’s antics weren’t chaotic, they were cute. Now, if it was our own kid...
Let’s just say we hope somebody handed Kate a stiff G&T post-balcony appearance behind the scenes.
For more about the royals and the Platinum Jubilee, listen to the Royally Obsessed podcast with co-hosts Rachel Bowie and Roberta Fiorito. Subscribe now or follow us on Instagram @royallyobsessedpodcast.
