Prince George and Princess Charlotte being driven past “Not My King” anti-monarchy campaigners in London, England, went viral on TikTok.
The future king, 11, joined his sister Charlotte in a carriage procession at Trooping the Colour in June 2024 when Republic protesters camped out in the English capital to wave yellow banners calling for the end of the monarchy.
George, Charlotte and their brother Prince Louis appeared to look out of the window onto the demonstration as they took part in the celebrations, King Charles III’s official birthday military parade.
Why It Matters
A clip of the moment has gone newly viral months later, after it was liked more than 109,000 times and viewed nearly 750,000 times after being posted with the message: “Their reaction!!”
What To Know
The video begins with images of the protesters interspersed with images of Charles and Queen Camilla riding past in their royal carriage, followed by George and Charlotte watching out of their window. There is also a clip of Louis later in the footage.
The film comes from Trooping the Colour in June 2024, Princess Kate’s first public appearance of the year as she underwent chemotherapy for cancer.
Protests against the monarchy have been on the rise since Queen Elizabeth II died in 2022, passing the crown to Charles.
What People Are Saying
“Im sorry but I dont get it why are they hating the king,” one fan replied to the TikTok video.
Another wrote: “Does no one understand the disrespect? He *IS* your king, Camilla is not the queen but Charles is the king we have no control over that, show some respect.”
A third posted: “I can’t imagine waiting 74 years to be king and people suddenly hating on you.”
Not everyone defended the monarchy, as one reply read: “Why do we even have a royal family?”
Graham Smith, chief executive of Republic, explained the reasons the group arranged the protest at the time: “This is another costly royal celebration, a birthday parade that celebrates a corrupt, dishonest institution when people are crying out for change.
“Support for the monarchy has dropped sharply in recent years, down toward 50 percent, while abolition is now supported by a third of the population.
“Rather than having the parade to celebrate Charles’s birthday, why not use the moment to celebrate the service given by our armed forces?
“Rather than see royals wear uniforms, rank and medals they’ve not earned, let’s put real military personnel front and center.
“Instead of celebrating this undemocratic institution, let’s celebrate the people of this great country.”
What Happens Next
Trooping the Colour will take place again on Saturday, June 14, 2025, and in addition to the military parade and carriage procession, there will be a chance for the royals to gather together on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
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.
Do you have a question about King Charles III and Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We’d love to hear from you.
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