Why You'll Likely Never See One Photo of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis
They aren't following in Prince William and Prince Harry's footsteps in one major way.


Princess Diana was determined to let her sons experience life outside of palace walls, and every royal watcher remembers the carefree photos of little Princes William and Harry having the time of their lives with Diana at a theme park. While the iconic snaps of the wet-haired and laughing trio will live on forever, don't expect to see Prince Louis racing down a water slide anytime soon.
The newest generation of royal kids is growing up in a much more behind-the-scenes way, with Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, managing to keep their private family outings just that.
While Prince William and Princess Kate's kids have been spotted by the public on a few rare occasions—like when they were photographed by a fan in the parking lot of Christmas attraction Lapland UK—inviting photographers along for their family time seems like a situation that just won't happen.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have been careful to keep their kids out of the limelight, giving the public an occasional glimpse of the children at major events like Trooping the Colour or Princess Kate's annual Christmas carol concert. Harry and William, on the other hand, experienced the cameras on a more frequent level, including their walks to school.
Princess Diana brought her kids to England's Thorpe Park in 1993, when this memorable photo was taken.
As for his kids taking part in more royal duties, Prince William— who sat down with a group of press during his trip to South Africa last year—said it wouldn't be a priority for the time being.
"Family-wise, you'll have to wait a little bit longer because obviously they’re at school and I think that takes priority over everything else," he shared. "But I think hopefully Catherine will be doing a bit more next year, so we'll have some more trips maybe lined up."
But even though their off-duty moments haven't been captured in the same way as William and Harry's childhood, George, Charlotte and Louis did take part in some fun activities like archery during a 2023 coronation event—which also marked little Louis's first-ever royal engagement.
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The kids also started chatting with fans (and receiving plenty of gifts) during the Royal Family's annual Christmas Day walk to church, showing a greater willingness by the Waleses to let George, Charlotte and Louis interact with the public.
Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.
Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.
Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.
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