Inside Prince Louis’ special bond with ‘hands-on’ grandfather King Charles

King Charles has held many titles over his lifetime, one of his proudest being grandfather. The British monarch, affectionately known as Grandpa Wales, became a first-time grandparent in 2013 with the birth of the Prince and Princess of Wales’ son Prince George. 

Charles gushed in a statement at the time that he was “overjoyed at the arrival” of his first grandchild. Meanwhile, Queen Camilla remarked that her husband was “brilliant with children, so he’ll have a wonderful time.” 

The King has since welcomed four additional grandchildren: Prince William and Catherine’s daughter Princess Charlotte and their younger son Prince Louis, as well as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. According to HELLO!‘s Royal Editor Emily Nash, “The King is close to all of the Wales children and regularly meets up with them at Windsor on Sundays.”

Prince William has praised his father as a “brilliant” grandfather. Emily points out: “The Queen has often talked about her husband’s delight in reading books to his grandchildren, doing all the different voices in the Harry Potter series, for instance, and crawling around on hands and knees to entertain them. He clearly has a warm and playful relationship with them and delights in spending time with them when he can. No doubt it brings back happy memories of his own sons at the same age.”

A joyful addition

Over the years, King Charles has been seen in grandpa mode at engagements with the Wales children and in various family photographs. In both official images and public appearances, a bond between the King and Prince Louis is clearly visible… and it goes beyond the names they share.

The Prince and Princess of Wales named their third child Louis Arthur Charles. While the second Wales son carries “Charles” in his name, his grandfather, whose full name is Charles Philip Arthur George, has “Arthur” as a middle name.

After Louis’ birth in April 2018, the King said: “It is a great joy to have another grandchild,” jokingly adding, “The only trouble is I don’t know how I am going to keep up with them.”

A picture’s worth a thousand words

Months later, in September 2018, Charles was pictured with all three of his grandchildren during a family photo session in the gardens of Clarence House, during which four-month-old Louis stole the show. The baby Prince was photographed adorably reaching for his grandfather’s face as Charles laughed, while Catherine, William, Harry, Meghan and Queen Camilla, then-the Duchess of Cornwall, looked on smiling. 

That same day, the King appeared every bit the proud grandfather in a solo shot with Louis. A beaming Charles was pictured holding the baby Prince in his arms, smiling from ear to ear. In another image from the photo session, the King was photographed holding Louis’ hands as he played with his younger grandson.

“It was lovely chaos with the children. He is a very hands-on grandfather. He was holding hands with George and Charlotte, and bouncing Louis up and down for a long time,” photographer Chris Jackson later said of the shoot.

An additional tender image of the two was shared on Louis’ second birthday in 2020. The black-and-white picture, taken by the Princess of Wales, showed the King and his grandson sharing a warm embrace. In the caption, Clarence House wrote “the young Prince enjoys a hug from his Grandfather”.

© FRANK AUGSTEIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

A visible bond

The affection captured in photos also comes through in public moments. During Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant in 2022, Louis memorably sat on his grandfather’s lap. At one point, William appeared to ask his father: “Grandpa, can Louis sit on your knee?” Louis then happily made his way over to Charles and the pair watched together.

“It was a heartwarming scene and as he bounced Louis on his knee, we got an insight into how hands-on Charles is away from the cameras,” Emily notes.

© Chris Jackson/Getty Images

The King has not shied away from publicly showing his love for his grandchildren. In 2026, the doting grandpa blew a kiss to Prince Louis, Prince George and Princess Charlotte as he arrived at St. George’s Chapel for Easter service.

The bond between the King and his grandchildren, particularly Louis, continues to speak for itself. Charles may be a reigning monarch, but around his grandchildren, it’s grandpa who reigns.