King Charles in Grandpa Mode with Princess Charlotte at Easter

If you have watched any royal event over the last 70 years, you know the unwritten rule. Almost everything is choreographed. Every step is planned. Every smile is timed. There are almost never any accidents, and almost never any real, unscripted moments that were not agreed ahead of time.

That is exactly why one tiny 10 second interaction between King Charles and his granddaughter Princess Charlotte at this year’s traditional Easter Mattins Service at Windsor has gone completely viral, and has been viewed more than 12 million times across social media in less than 48 hours.

According to the original exclusive report from People, who had photographers on the ground inside the private grounds of Windsor Castle, the moment happened completely away from the main pack of press photographers, and almost nobody noticed it at the time.

As the entire royal family walked in procession from St George’s Chapel back to the castle after the service, the rest of the family walked in strict order of precedence, exactly as royal protocol dictates. William and Catherine walked a few steps behind, Prince George walked beside his father, Prince Louis was doing his usual best to ignore protocol entirely, and King Charles was walking alone at the head of the procession as Head of State.

And then something nobody expected happened.

8 year old Princess Charlotte broke away from her parents, ran a few steps ahead, and slipped her hand straight into her grandfather’s.

And for the next three full minutes, the King of the United Kingdom walked side by side with his granddaughter, and completely forgot every single rule of royal protocol. He leaned down to talk to her the entire time. He laughed out loud at something she said. He adjusted the bow on the back of her coat. At one point he even stopped completely in the middle of the procession to let her tie her shoe, while the entire rest of the royal family waited quietly behind them.

There was no wave for the cameras. There was no pose. This was not a staged photo op. This was just a grandfather and his granddaughter.

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Why This One Moment Resonated So Much With The Public

What makes this moment so interesting is that it is almost the exact opposite of the public image most people have had of King Charles for most of his life. For decades he has been portrayed as formal, stiff, obsessed with protocol, and sometimes distant.

But over the last 18 months, and particularly since his cancer diagnosis, we have started to see tiny, regular glimpses of this completely different side of him. And none of them have been anywhere near as powerful or as genuine as this one.

The reaction on social media has been almost universally positive, which is almost unheard of for any story about the modern royal family. Thousands of people have commented that this is the first time they have ever seen Charles look completely relaxed and happy in public. Others have pointed out that for all the titles, all the palaces and all the protocol, at the end of the day he is just a 76 year old grandfather who adores his granddaughter.

Even people who are openly critical of the monarchy have commented on the moment, saying that regardless of your opinions on the institution, it is impossible not to relate to a quiet, unplanned moment between a grandparent and a child.

The Quiet Shift In Charles’ Public Image

This one small moment also caps off a very quiet but very noticeable shift in how the public sees King Charles. 12 months ago, approval ratings for the King were hovering around 42%. This week, new unofficial polling puts them at 59%, the highest they have been at any point since he became King.

Royal commentators have pointed out that this is not happening because of big speeches, or official announcements, or state visits. It is happening entirely because of these tiny, unscripted, human moments. The public do not care about the King’s official duties. They care about the moments that remind them he is a real person.

What makes this moment even more special is that Charlotte has always had a very special, very quiet bond with her grandfather. Royal insiders have previously told People that Charlotte is the only one of his grandchildren that will regularly sit and talk with him for an hour at a time, and that she is the only one who completely ignores the fact that he is the King.

At The End Of The Day, Protocol Only Goes So Far

For 1000 years the British monarchy has survived by following rules, by maintaining distance, and by never letting the public see behind the curtain. But the most popular moments the royal family has ever had in the last 20 years have all been the moments where they forgot the rules.

Prince Louis waving at planes. The Princess of Wales eating a takeaway burger on the street. And now, King Charles walking hand in hand with his granddaughter, and forgetting for three minutes that he is the King.

It turns out that after everything, the thing the public wants more than anything else from famous people, is just to see them be normal for 10 seconds.

Source: People.com

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