The Prince and Princess of Wales' youngest son, Prince Louis, has become the subject of a new viral video, as fans online have praised the young royal's "respectful gesture" at a recent royal engagement.
Louis celebrated his fifth birthday in April and is the youngest of William and Kate's three children. He is regularly seen at large-scale royal events with siblings Prince George (10) and Princess Charlotte (8).
Louis has seen his presence at these events increase over the past year, as he has gotten older and also as the position of his family has moved up in seniority within the monarchy since his great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II's death.
In September 2022, when the 96-year-old monarch died, the royals moved closer one position in proximity to the throne. Louis is fourth in the line of succession and attended the London coronation of his grandfather King Charles III in May.
Uploaded to TikTok by user @thee.rooyal.family on December 11, footage of Louis attending his mother's 2023 Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey in London on December 8 has gone viral, with over 1.2 million views.
@thee.rooyal.family They look so proud of Louis #katemiddleton #princewilliam #princelouis ♬ sonido original - thee.rooyal.family
In the clip, Louis is seen confidently offering his hand to a member of the abbey clergy to shake as the footage cuts to William and Kate's reactions.
Captioned "They look so proud of Louis," the TikTok post has received in excess of 90,000 likes and over 200 comments, many of which have praised the royals.
"So cute, love Prince Louis," wrote one user.
"He is learning. What a funny little person he is. He [reminds] me a bit of [Prince] Harry when he was small," posted another, with a further comment reading: "What an adorable sweet respectful gesture Prince Louis."
This was the first year that Louis attended his mother's carol service alongside his father and siblings. Its central theme was celebrating children's early years and the core workers contributing to raising awareness of their importance.
Kate started the "Together at Christmas" service in 2021, where she invited members of the public from around Britain who served their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic to be celebrated.
During the event, which is broadcast each year in Britain on Christmas Eve, the princess surprised fans by performing her first public piano piece, accompanying singer Tom Walker during the song "For Those Who Can't Be Here."
The 2022 service was dedicated to the memory of the late Queen Elizabeth II and was also attended by King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
This year, in addition to William, George, Charlotte and Louis, extended members of the royal family attended the service, including the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
Kate's parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, were also in attendance.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
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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 ... Read more
