King Charles III’s Coronation is almost here, as the prestigious ceremony will formalise his role as the head of the Church of England. But long before Charles ascended the throne, he was already a much-loved grandparent to his grandchildren, some of whom will have starring roles in the upcoming coronation.
The Times has reported that Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 7, and 4-year-old Prince Louis will all be joining their grandfather and step-grandmother as they exit Westminster Abbey once the ceremony has finished and take part in “The Coronation Procession” back to Buckingham Palace. Traditionally, other members of the royal family are not a part of the formalities until they appear on the palace balcony following the procession to watch the flypast, and so this will mark a significant family moment.
Whilst the siblings have taken part in various royal events before (who could forget Prince Louis stealing the show at Queen Elizabeth II’s Jubilee Pageant?), it was decided that the youngest sibling was too young to take part in Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral last year, despite his older siblings attendance.
As for Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, it was announced on April 12 that Prince Harry will be attending the coronation by himself. The announcement was unsurprising considering it is also Archie’s 4th birthday on the day of the coronation and in light of the recent revelations in Harry’s memoir, “Spare.”
Considering that Harry and Meghan, and their two children, now live in California, it’s not often that King Charles gets to spend time with his grandchildren, but he did see them last summer over the Platinum Jubilee weekend. Charles was reunited with his grandson Archie for the first time since 2020 and was first introduced in person to Lilibet. “The prince [King Charles], of course, hasn’t seen his grandson Archie for a bit of time and so it was very, very, very special to have some time with him,” a source told The Independent. “He hadn’t met Lili, his granddaughter, and so to meet her was very emotional, a very, very wonderful thing.”
Known affectionately as “Grandpa Wales” to his grandchildren, according to The Daily Mail, King Charles has previously opened up about having grandkids, saying: “It’s a different part of your life. The great thing is to encourage them. Show them things to take their interest … It is very important to create a bond when they are very young.”
His wife, Queen Consort Camilla, who is also getting crowned at the coronation, told the BBC that “he will get down on his knees and crawl about with them for hours, you know, making funny noises and laughing,” while Prince William said in the documentary “Prince, Son & Heir: Charles at 70” that he is “brilliant” with the kids, but he wishes his father could spend “more time” with his grandchildren.
King Charles has five biological grandchildren and five further step-grandchildren through his wife Camilla Parker Bowles, who will also play their part in the coronation. The boys have been chosen as Pages of Honor for Queen Consort, Camilla, alongside her great-nephew, Arthur Elliot, 10. Read ahead to find out more about the King’s grandchildren and step-grandchildren.
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Prince George
Prince George – or rather his full title, Prince George Alexander Louis of Wales – is the eldest child of the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate. George, who is now 9 years old, was born at 4:24 pm on July 22, 2013, at the Lindo Wing – a private maternity ward – of St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London.
Among his royal grandparents are King Charles, the late Princess Diana, and step-grandmother Queen Consort Camilla Parker Bowles, as well as his maternal grandparents, Carole and Michael Middleton.
Although George will one day be next in line to the throne, his parents do not want to “weigh him down with a sense of duty.” That didn’t stop the cheeky school boy from trying to one-up his peers, where he was reported by Katie Nicholl in the book, “The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth’s Legacy and the Future of the Crown,” to have said: “My dad will be king, so you’d better watch out!”
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Princess Charlotte
Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of Cambridge is the middle child of the Prince and Princess of Wales and is fourth in line to the throne. Now 7 years old, Charlotte was born at 8:34 am on May 2, 2015, at the same hospital as her older brother.
After she was born, King Charles (who was still the Prince of Wales, at the time), said that Princess Charlotte is “beautiful.” While she might be younger than George, she’s not afraid to tell him to adhere to royal protocol, as was shown when she reminded him to bow at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.
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Prince Louis
Last in the the Prince and Princess of Wales’s brood is 4-year-old Prince Louis Arthur Charles of Wales. The youngest sibling was born at 11:01 am on April 23, 2018.
Prince Louis made quite the entrance at the late Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee celebrations and reminded parents all over the world that kids will be kids. For starters, the young prince was pictured screaming with his hands over his ears as planes flew over the balcony at the 2022 Trooping the Color, before becoming a ball of energy at the jubilee concert. He may be the youngest of the siblings, but he’s certainly the feistiest!
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Prince Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor of Sussex
Prince Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor of Sussex was born at 5:26 am on May 6, 2019, at Portland Hospital – a private hospital in Westminster, London. The family made history with his birth, as Prince Archie is the first British-American royal family member.
Born to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, he shares the same royal grandparents as his cousins, while his maternal grandparents are social worker Doria Ragland and retired lighting director Thomas Markle, though it is not clear what role the latter is playing in their lives.
Archie only officially became a prince when his grandfather acceded to King on September 2022, as the royal rules state that the title of prince or princess goes to the sons and daughters of the sovereign, grandchildren born to the sovereign’s sons, and the eldest son of the Prince of Wales’s eldest son (who would be Prince George today).
Even though Prince Archie is still a toddler, he’s already got a Netflix appearance under his belt, appearing in home footage on the Netflix docuseries, “Harry & Meghan.”
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Princess Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor of Sussex
One-year-old Princess Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor of Sussex was born on June 4, 2021 at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, a teaching hospital in California.
Princess Lilibet also has the same Netflix appearance accolade to her name, but was kept a little more shielded from the limelight, as her parents only shared the first image of her after she turned one. She also only became a princess after the Queen died.
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Lola Parker Bowles
Pictured looking over her shoulder at the late Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, Lola Parker Bowles is the eldest grandchild of the Queen Consort Camilla and shares parents Tom Parker Bowles, a food writer, and Sara Buys, a magazine editor, though they split in 2018.
The 16-year-old, who will be in year 11 at secondary school and completing her GCSE’s this year, shares biological grandparents Queen Consort Camilla Parker Bowles and retired British Army officer Andrew Parker Bowles, and step-grandfather King Charles III, as well as maternal grandparents, Caroline and William.
Although she has mostly been kept out of the limelight and allowed to have a normal childhood, she was spoken about by her grandmother, the Queen Consort, in an interview with Vogue, where she discussed their joint love of “Wordle.” Camilla revealed: “She’ll text me to say, ‘I’ve done it in three,’ and I say, ‘Sorry, I’ve done it in two today.’ It’s very satisfactory when it tells you how brilliant you are!”
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Eliza Lopes
Pictured at the front of the photo at the late Queen Elizabeth’s funeral is 15-year-old Eliza Lopes. The schoolgirl is the eldest daughter of Camilla’s art curator daughter, Laura Lopes, and entrepreneur Harry Lopes. Her grandparents are Queen Consort Camilla, Andrew Parker Bowles, George Lopes, Sarah Violet Astor, and step-grandfather King Charles III.
Although the youngster is also mostly shielded from the prying eyes of royal life, royal fans might recall Eliza, who was born in 2008, being honored as a bridesmaid during Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding in 2011. The then-Prince Charles picked her up whilst on the balcony to allow her to see the gigantic crowd a little better.
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Louis and Gus Lopes
As the younger twin brothers of Eliza, pictured far left and far right at the late Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in this photo, Louis and Gus Lopes were welcomed in 2009 by Laura and Harry Lopes.
They did not attend Prince William and Kate’s royal wedding as they were still very little at the time, but Camilla told British Vogue that the 13-year-olds always communicate via their mobiles to her. “It’s very nice getting a text,” she said to the outlet. “We learn from very young people and they learn from us, too. That’s the way it’s always been.”
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Freddy Parker Bowles
While there aren’t many clear photos of the 13-year-old grandson of the Queen Consort, Freddy Parker Bowles, he is the younger brother of 16-year-old Lola and the youngest child of Tom and Sara Parker Bowles. He is featured second from right at the Queen’s funeral here.
