Princess Charlotte has proven herself to be a vital important part of the next generation of royals. Despite her tender age, the eight-year-old has taken on a lot of responsibility during royal engagements, making sure that her two brothers, Prince George and Prince Louis, are behaving and conducting themselves in the right way.
By all accounts, Charlotte seems to be growing up into a very clever girl, which should hardly come as a surprise. She’s been compared to the late Queen Elizabeth II several times over the years, not only because of how she acts and what interests she has, but appearance-wise as well.
In early May, Charlotte turned eight, and new pictures of the young princess – showing off her striking resemblance to her late great-grandmother – have left royal fans baffled.
Though it’s the kings and queens who have formed the spine of the British monarchy over the centuries, there are far more people who go in to actually making the monarchy work. On top of all the aides, chefs, advisers, and personnel, other senior members of the Royal Family have very important roles to play. Not only is it their job to keep the monarchy a relevant and well-oiled machine, but also to retain the public’s interest and support.
One great example of an individual taking their supporting role seriously is Princess Anne. In 1969, at 18, Princess Anne began taking on public engagements as a working royal. She is often referred to as one of the hardest-working members of the Royal Family – in 2020 and 2021, she was actually awarded that title after undertaking more official engagements than any other working royal. In 2019, she carried out more than 500 engagements!
Princess Charlotte – striking resemblance to Queen Elizabeth II
With the Royal Family now moving into a new era with King Charles’s reign, the next generation of royals is getting more and more responsibility. Prince George, the future king, had a prominent role at his grandfather’s coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey, for example, and will certainly be taking on more duties as time goes by.
But while George is being prepped and taught everything there is to know about becoming king, another young royal has taken on a very important role in supporting her brother – just as Anne did with Charles.
Princess Charlotte has been praised over and again for her behavior at several royal events, including the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles’ coronation.
Though she has been compared to Princess Anne, Charlotte is also often compared to the late Queen Elizabeth. Similarities in pictures are one thing, but the young girl’s behavior at times appears to mirror her late great-grandmother’s as well.
Queen Elizabeth was blessed to see her family grow large indeed, welcoming four children, eight grandchildren, and a whopping 12 great-grandchildren. For obvious reasons, she became very close with Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, as their parents were senior members of the Royal Family, and so appeared alongside the queen often.
In 2016, a year after Charlotte was born, Kate Middleton revealed how Queen Elizabeth had already become very fond of the little girl.
New picture of Princess Charlotte for 8th birthday
“It’s very special for us to have a new little girl to the family. Very lucky that George has got a little sister. The queen, she was really thrilled that it was a little girl and I think as soon as we came back here to Kensington [Palace], she was one of our first visitors here,” Kate said in the ITV documentary Our Queen at 90.
“I think she’s very fond of Charlotte, always watching what she’s up to. George is only two and a half and calls her ‘gan-gan.’ She always leaves a little gift or something in their room when we go and stay, and that just shows, I think, her love for her family.”
Weeks ago, Princess Charlotte celebrated her eighth birthday. William and Kate usually post new pictures of their beloved children on their birthdays – and this year proved no different.
Not only was this year’s offering a beautiful picture of Charlotte – taken by her mother – but the picture also showed an uncanny resemblance to her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.
Over the years, it’s become more apparent just how many facial features Queen Elizabeth and Princess Charlotte share.
They have the same shape on their chin and mouth, and eyes that share a similar shape and color. They’ve even had similar hairstyles – and Charlotte displays the same confidence when pictures are taken of her.
Princess Charlotte and Queen Elizabeth both have a “look of determination”
Just days ago, the Instagram account Philibeth_Wales posted a side-by-side picture of Charlotte and a young Queen Elizabeth II.
Both are looking over their shoulder, and the steady gaze was something fans didn’t miss.
“I’ve always said Princess Charlotte was the image of the Queen… it’s in the look of determination,” one fan wrote, as reported by Express.
Another added: “Princess Charlotte is the one that you won’t want to mess with. She has her great-grandmother’s head, her grandmother’s heart, and her mother’s looks and courage but her own personality.”
“I always said it/Little princess is her great grandmom’s image,” a third commented.
It turns out that it’s not in terms of their appearance that Charlotte and her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, share similarities. For example, both Elizabeth and Charlotte have been very fond of the color pink. The young royal is often seen wearing pink dresses, while her mother once revealed that it was the girl’s favorite color.
On top of that, Queen Elizabeth and Princess Charlotte also share a love of animals. Horses have always been a big part of royal life, and Queen Elizabeth even had her own breeding program at the Royal Stud in Sandringham. Moreover, she owned many racehorses and loved visiting the races herself.
Mutual interest for horses
Princess Anne also has a great interest in horses, as does Queen Camilla. The former even competed in the Olympics.
In 2015, an insider told the Daily Mail that William and Kate were keen on fostering a love of horses in their children. By that time their eldest son, Prince George, had already sat on a horse; just a year later, it was clear that Princess Charlotte had become very interested in the animals as well.
Back in 2016, decorated Paralympic Equestrian Natasha Baker revealed that Kate had told her how Charlotte loved riding, even though the young royal was less than two years old.
“I asked her how the children were, and she said Charlotte is really enjoying her riding which is great to hear,” Baker told the Daily Mirror. “She emphasised that Charlotte has this passion for horses and although she doesn’t echo it, she’ll do her best to champion and encourage it.”
The Daily Mirror reported last year that George, Charlotte, and Louis had all become “avid riders,” and regularly trott around on their first ponies. Usually, the young royal children practice their riding skills at Amner Hall, where the family stayed during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Before the queen passed, Princess Charlotte was gifted a diamond brooch by her great-grandmother, shaped like a horseshoe. It had originally been owned by the Queen Mother, who was first pictured wearing the horseshoe in 1929.
Princess Charlotte cherishes royal etiquette, just like the queen
Queen Elizabeth loved all animals; her beloved pet corgis were always around and became her unofficial. Princess Charlotte has also proven to be a dog lover, oftentimes taking care of the family’s pet cocker spaniel, Orla.
Queen Elizabeth, of course, knew all the different traditions within the royal sphere, as well as how to act when out on duty. This appears to be the case with Princess Charlotte as well, as she has proved to be just like the Queen. For example, during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebration in 2022, Charlotte corrected her elder brother, Prince George, as she thought he should adapt his posture.
To uphold royal standards, Princess Charlotte was seen instructing her brother to have his arms down by his side.
“Arms down, George,” the young princess appeared to tell the future king.
It was not the first time Charlotte helped George with etiquette. During Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, she was seen reminding her brother that he had to properly bow when the late regent’s coffin passed them outside of Westminster Abbey.
“You need to bow,” Charlotte told George.
Princess Charlotte will most likely – as Princess Margaret did for Queen Elizabeth and Princess Anne for King Charles – become a vital part of the Royal Family moving forward.
Unless she takes the same route as Prince Harry, Charlotte will likely become a hard-working senior royal, assuming a host of duties for many years. On that note, it turns out that Charlotte has already left the experts very impressed.
Princess Charlotte dubbed “royal family’s secret weapon”
After her appearance during the coronation weekend – in Westminster Abbey, on the Buckingham Palace balcony, and at the coronation concert – the eight-year-old was praised as the royal “secret weapon” for her “poised yet enthusiastic” appearance.
“With all the focus on the new King and Queen, the Princess of Wales’ effortless glamour and the new royal wave introduced by Prince Louis, one person was overlooked in the pomp and pageantry of the coronation,” royal expert and columnist Angela Mollard told 7News.
“She is only eight, a spare and not an expected heir, but Princess Charlotte has revealed herself to be the royal family’s secret weapon.”
Mullard continued: “For now, the third in line to the throne is enjoying a playful normal childhood but if, as expected, she does turn out to have the work ethic and the chutzpah of Princess Anne, along with the style of her mother and grandmother, the royal family will be counting their blessings.”
For everything to work out for the royal grandchildren of King Charles, they need a plan. According to Chandrika Kaul, Professor of Modern History at the University of St Andrews, the king wants to make sure that George, Charlotte, and Louis all grow up as normal as possible in order to not make the same mistakes that he made.
The expert claims that King Charles’ biggest wish is for his three royal grandchildren to have the confidence to do what they want.
“I think King Charles is very keen that his grandchildren don’t make the mistakes that I think he feels he made, particularly when it came to matters of the heart,” Kaul said in the new Channel 5 documentary The Fab Five: The King’s Grandchildren.
“Brave and forceful”
‘What I think he wants to do is try and help these young grandchildren grow up in as normal a way as possible and create more fully rounded human beings who are unafraid of their emotions and who are able to have the confidence to marry whom they want. And to have a happy, successful, and fulfilled personal life.”
Ailsa Anderson, former press secretary to the late Queen Elizabeth, added that the young girl has a very special role within the family, having “no qualms at all about being in the spotlight on public events”
As of today, Princess Charlotte is third in the line of succession to the throne, behind her father and elder brother. No matter what, it certainly appears that she will be vital if the monarchy are to survive another generation.
“Charlotte has got an absolute terrific personality,” Editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine Ingrid Seward said.
“She’s brave, she’s quite forceful, she certainly lords it up over her older brother,’ she added.
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