Eight-year-old Princess Charlotte stole the spotlight at King Charles's Coronation Concert outside Windsor Castle on May 7, 2023, as a star-studded lineup—Take That, Lionel Richie and Katy Perry among them—delivered a two-hour celebration for tens of thousands of attendees. The event, part of the coronation weekend, drew a mix of royal watchers and the public, with roughly 20,000 people in attendance and about 10,000 free tickets issued to members of the public. The young princess and her older brother, Prince George, joined the spectacle from the front row of the royal box, dancing along with their family as jet-set performances unfolded around them.
The moment that quickly circulated online came as the royal box moved along the line of family members. The newly crowned King and Queen were seated in the middle of the front row, close to the Prince and Princess of Wales and their two eldest children. As Camilla walked past Charlotte, the eight-year-old attempted a curtsy for the queen consort but, in a brief miscue, turned away slightly and missed the exact moment to curtsy. The scene was captured on camera, and Camilla’s reaction conveyed warmth and reassurance. The Queen Consort placed a gentle hand on Charlotte’s shoulder in a swift, comforting gesture, and the young princess responded with a shy smile that suggested she understood the moment was observed and appreciated rather than judged.
The interaction unfolded as the royal family continued to take in the evening’s festivities. Earlier in the night, Charlotte reportedly turned to her mother for help adjusting a loose wristband, prompting Kate to step in and tighten the band so the princess could wave her Union flag with the same enthusiasm as the rest of the crowd. The royal siblings were frequently seen in the front rows, with George and Charlotte waving alongside their parents as Charles and Camilla enjoyed the performances from the box itself. The King and Queen were seen dancing along to Take That’s performance of Shine, while the brothers and sisters waved their flags in the stands.
The concert featured a blend of pop and nostalgia, including appearances by Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, whose presence brought a note of whimsy to the royal box. In the final moments of the Windsor Coronation Concert, Take That—who had reunited for the occasion after several years apart—performed Never Forget as Kermit the Frog hopped and danced in the audience area near the box. Prince William slipped away briefly to take the stage and deliver a moving tribute to his father, telling Charles that they were all proud of him and that his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, would be fondly looking down on the family’s celebrations from above.
The Windsor event was not Charlotte’s first brush with a curtsy in the public eye. A viral TikTok video from earlier in the year captured a two-year-old Charlotte delivering her first public curtsy as the royal family bade farewell to Polish dignitaries in Warsaw during a royal tour of Poland and Germany. In that clip, Kate can be heard guiding her daughter to say thank you before boarding the plane, and Charlotte bowed with a smile that would later be echoed in Windsor. These moments have helped solidify Charlotte’s position as a captivating, photogenic presence in royal life as she grows within the public eye.
Charlotte, who celebrated her 10th birthday earlier this year, is third in line to the throne. She is widely expected to one day become Princess Royal, a title traditionally granted to the sovereign’s eldest daughter. The line of succession has evolved since 2013, when changes to the rules ended male-preference primogeniture, allowing female heirs to outrank younger brothers. That reform put Charlotte ahead of younger brothers in the line, a shift many observers say has shaped the tone and expectations around modern royal appearances. Charlotte’s poised presence—along with her brother George’s confident participation—has contributed to a broader sense of continuity and family focus amid the Windsor weekend’s ceremonial weight.
The Coronation Concert’s personalities and family moments provided a festive, accessible capstone to the weekend’s formal proceedings. For many viewers, the sight of a young princess navigating the demands and delights of a televised royal celebration—curtseys, wristbands, and all—added a personal warmth to the pageantry. The blend of heartfelt moments, musical performances, and playful interactions with beloved figures like Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog helped underscore a culture and entertainment narrative that resonates with audiences both at Windsor and around the world.