Princess Charlotte's Shocked Reaction to TV Camera Goes Viral

Princess Charlotte appearing to spot a TV camera from the stands of the Platinum Pageant in London has gone viral on TikTok.

The young royal, 9, was watching a parade on the final day of the Platinum Jubilee, in June 2022, when she seemed to realize she was being recorded by the media. Charlotte pointed emphatically as she exchanged a few words with her father, Prince William.

The jubilee was a large-scale public celebration marking 70 years of Queen Elizabeth II's reign; the media were invited to capture the event for royal fans around the world, so there is no suggestion the camera crews were doing anything wrong in filming.

However, royal children have a bizarre start to life in which they are superstars from the moment they are born, with cameras ready to capture major milestones throughout their lives.

A clip of Charlotte's reaction went viral after it was liked more than 55,000 times and viewed over 628,000 times, having been posted with the onscreen caption: "Prince Charlotte always spots the cameras filming her."

The video was posted with the message: "She always knows ! — my girls saw first."

The Platinum Pageant was the final day of Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee, marking her 70 years on the throne.

Princess Charlotte watched the pageantry, music and festivities alongside her brothers, Prince Louis and Prince George, and father William.

In the clip, their cousin Savannah Phillips can be seen in the seats behind also appearing to point toward the camera.

Harry described his experiences of staged photoshoots with invited photographers in his book Spare, including on a skiing holiday in the Alpine resort Klosters, in Switzerland.

"We'd always have to walk to a designated spot at the foot of the mountain and stand before seventy or so photographers, arranged in three or four ascending tiers—the Wall," Harry wrote.

"They'd point their lenses and shout our names and shoot us while we squinted and fidgeted and listened to Pa answer their daft questions.

"The Wall was the price we paid for a hassle-free hour on the slopes. Only if we went before the Wall would they briefly leave us in peace," Harry added.

"Pa disliked the Wall—he was famous for disliking it—but Willy and I despised it."

During the photo op, the prince said: "I stuck close to Pa's side while the cameras whirred and clicked."

Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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