A former British minister has shared a touching memory of the King and his youngest grandson during preparations for the 2023 coronation.
Even a king can need a break from a long rehearsal. And according to Dame Penny Mordaunt, five-year-old Prince Louis provided exactly that for his grandfather, King Charles III.
Speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, Mordaunt recalled that Charles appeared weary during rehearsals for his May 6, 2023, coronation at Westminster Abbey. Then Louis arrived, and the mood changed. “He suddenly sprung to life,” Mordaunt said, as reported by PEOPLE.
Prince Louis brings the rehearsal to a halt
Mordaunt described how Charles, after many days of preparations, came alive when his young grandson came to visit. The King paused proceedings to show Louis the Crown Jewels, turning a demanding ceremonial rehearsal into a family moment.
The story was told publicly in October 2026, but the encounter itself took place ahead of the 2023 coronation. It is Mordaunt’s recollection of an event she witnessed, not newly released palace footage or an announcement from the King.
Why Penny Mordaunt was there
As Lord President of the Privy Council, Mordaunt had a conspicuous ceremonial role. She carried the Sword of State during the coronation procession and presented the Jewelled Sword of Offering during the service. The official Coronation Roll documents her participation.
Her place in the preparations gave her a firsthand view of a side of coronation week that television viewers never saw: repeated rehearsals, long waits and, occasionally, a welcome interruption.
A grandfather amid all the royal ceremony
At the coronation, the symbols of monarchy were impossible to miss: robes, swords, crowns and centuries of ritual. Mordaunt’s anecdote offers something much simpler: a grandfather taking a moment to share a remarkable sight with his grandson.
Louis, the youngest child of Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, was five at the time. His older siblings, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, also participated in the historic day.
We may never see photographs of the private rehearsal moment, but Mordaunt’s account adds a warm human detail to an event remembered for its extraordinary formality.
Explore more: Meet the family behind the ceremony in our Royal Family Tree, and read our King Charles coverage.
Archival photograph: The coronation procession, May 6, 2023. The image does not show the rehearsal or the private moment described above. Photo: Katie Chan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, unchanged.
Sources: PEOPLE · Official Coronation Roll
