The Little Royals Look Ready to Throw a Royal Tantrum at the Queen’s Jubilee

The highlight of the Platinum Jubilee—a marathon celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne—is finally here, and the royals were in top form at Thursday’s kickoff. The 94-year-old monarch looked spry as ever despite her recent health issues, and Kate Middleton and Prince William were characteristically picture perfect. But from the look of the photos of the traditional Trooping the Colour flypast at Buckingham Palace, Kate and William may not be enjoying themselves for very long. Their children—eight-year-old Prince George, seven-year-old Princess Charlotte, and four-year-old Prince Louis—appear to have embarked on a weekend of tantrums about having to honor their grandmother.

The little royals’ apparent discontent with the pomp and circumstance was visible from the moment they pulled up in a carriage. Louis made such a mocking show of waving at the crowd that Charlotte felt compelled to push his hand down. By the time they made their way up to the palace’s storied balcony, it was clear that Louis had no plans to even attempt to put on a happy face; he stuck his pinky fingers in his mouth, clutched his face as if in horror, and covered up his ears with a grimace when the planes roared by. Meanwhile, Charlotte and George squinted up at the sky with frowns, and while it could have just been a sunny day, their faces didn’t change much when they looked down on the crowd.

Kate has long been the sole royal to make the many meticulously choreographed photo ops that come with being a part of the monarchy interesting. She does so with unabashed enthusiasm, and while her kids may take the opposite approach, clearly, a knack for producing delightful photographs runs in the family.