Moment Princess Charlotte Mirrored Queen Elizabeth II's Wave Praised
A video clip showing the moment Princess Charlotte mirrored her great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II's royal wave during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022 has gone viral on social media after being uploaded to TikTok.
The footage, posted by user rm9498gul, has reached over half a million views and received in excess of 30,000 likes and 150 comments.
The princess and queen were filmed on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in what would be the 96-year-old monarch's last appearance on the iconic balcony before her death three months later, ending the reign of Britain's longest-serving sovereign.
The queen made an unscheduled appearance on the balcony after the Platinum Jubilee pageant and was joined by the then-Prince Charles and Camilla, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George, Prince Louis and Charlotte.
The monarch hadn't been well enough to attend the celebrations, after straining herself on the first day. Her appearance at the palace was widely celebrated, standing alongside her three direct heirs: Charles, William and George.
The viral clip shows the queen waving to the crowds lining The Mall for the occasion, demonstrating what was famously nicknamed the "royal wave." Charlotte is shown observing her great-grandmother and then echoing the movement herself.
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A number of social media users have complimented the young royal for her maturity in such a situation.
"She watched Granny and followed her lead!🥰 Queen Elizabeth was special!" wrote one commenter.
"It seems Princess Charlotte was very attached to the Queen 🥺" said another, with a further user adding: "She's an extremely observant child. Her brother is extremely lucky that she's by his side in my opinion."
Prince William and Kate Middleton involved all three of their children in their great-grandmother's jubilee celebrations, but 2022 marked an important year for both George and Charlotte as they undertook solo engagements and attended solemn family events.
The prince and princess attended the memorial service for Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey in March and they returned to the abbey in September for the queen's state funeral.
A number of moments shared between the siblings from the events they attended throughout the year have gone viral, chief among them Charlotte appearing to remind George of the correct time to make his bow to the queen's coffin.
Royal author Tina Brown, who wrote the bestselling book The Palace Papers, likened the princess to the queen after watching her composure on the day of the funeral.
"When [Winston] Churchill first met the queen at the age of 2," she told CBS News, "he commented on her extraordinary gravity and her poise. And I do feel somewhat the same way about Princess Charlotte."
The royal is expected to attend at least part of King Charles III's coronation celebrations on May 6, just days after she marks her eighth birthday on May 2.
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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