Princess Charlotte, 7, was photographed rubbing her eyes as she stood outside the church following Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral service on Sept. 19. Her mother, Kate Middleton, offered comfort, rubbing Charlotte’s back as the little one appeared to cry as she said goodbye to her great-grandmother. Charlotte was surrounded by members of the Royal Family, as well as thousands of onlookers, outside the funeral service, and it all appeared to be a bit overwhelming for the youngster, who got emotional.
Charlotte was the youngest person in attendance at the funeral. She sat with her mom, dad, Prince William, and older brother, Prince George, 9, in the church. The youngest member of their family, Prince Louis, 4, did not make an appearance. During the service, Charlotte was well-behaved, singing along to the hymns that were played in honor of The Queen. Kate kept a close watch of Charlotte and George throughout the day, as William had to take part in some separate Royal duties at certain parts of the proceedings.
It was a big day for Charlotte, as she showed off her maturity at the very public event. For the first time ever, Charlotte also wore significant jewelry, donning a horseshoe brooch in honor of her great-grandmother. The Queen is a longtime equestrian lover, and the brooch was a symbol of Her Majesty’s love of horses. Charlotte also publicly wore a hat for the first time — her black hat matched her black coat and tights.
Queen Elizabeth II died at the age of 96 on Sept. 8. Her funeral did not take place until 11 days later, though, as there was a period of mourning in the United Kingdom first. Charlotte and her brothers had actually just started a new year of school just on day prior to The Queen’s death.