How William & Kate's Children Have Grown Up Since The Queen's Death

Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis have grown up quite a bit over the past year. The three children of William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, seem to have really come into their own, and quite a bit has changed for them since the death of Queen Elizabeth II — their great-grandmother whom they lovingly referred to as "Gan Gan." The Cambridge kids all have their own personalities that shine through whenever they are in public. However, royal watchers have definitely noticed that all three have stepped into a new phase of life as they've begun to mature.

As People magazine pointed out, William and Kate started preparing their brood for their royal roles beginning in 2021. The kids have taken on a few more responsibilities and have made some additional appearances as they've gotten older, which is an important part of their future. Slowly but surely, George, Charlotte, and even little Louis have shifted gears, and it seems 2023 has been nothing short of transformative for all three siblings. Let's take a look back at some of the biggest moments that showed marked change in the Cambridge kids since their grandmother's passing.

A little more than a week before Queen Elizabeth's death, Kensington Palace confirmed that Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis were enrolled in a new school. All three Cambridge children have followed a similar path regarding their education. Prince William and Kate Middleton started each of their three kids out at Willcocks Nursery School in London. George and Charlotte transferred to Thomas's Battersea in the years that followed, but they changed schools in the fall of 2022 due to the family's move from London to Windsor. All three kicked off the school year at Lambrook School, near their new home.

"Lambrook is a thriving independent school which is home to 615 boys and girls. The Lambrook experience combines first class teaching and superb facilities with traditional values, set in the idyllic surroundings of 52 acres of beautiful Berkshire countryside," reads a snippet from the school's official website. Children ages three through 13 attend classes at Lambrook, which boasts, "high academic standards, excellent facilities and sporting provision." This is the first time that all three Cambridge children have attended the same school at the same time. "Kate said the children have settled in nicely with their new school and have new friends," a source told People after the start of the term.

The eldest Cambridge child, Prince George, was given her first official royal duty at his grandfather's coronation ceremony in May. George was enlisted as a page of honor alongside Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, Ralph Tollemache, and Nicholas Barclay, all of whom helped King Charles by carrying his robe, according to The Mirror – Queen Camilla had her own three pageboys to carry her robe. Moreover, George had a bit of an extra job as he assisted his grandfather during the event. 

This wasn't George's first time serving as a pageboy, either. Hello! magazine points out that George was selected as a pageboy for two weddings: the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's May 2018 ceremony and Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's nuptials in October that same year. However, there is clearly a big difference between attending a relative's wedding and playing a role in the king's coronation. And, as the second in line to the British throne, the latter was really George's first glimpse into what his future will look like. The Telegraph reported an interesting statistic about George's inclusion at the coronation, explaining that he was the youngest future king to have an official role in the ceremony.

Although Princess Charlotte didn't have a special title at her grandfather's coronation, she showed the world that she's grown up quite a bit when she attended the May 6 ceremony. The youngster wore a more grown-up outfit, twinning with her mom, Kate Middleton. Per Town & Country, Charlotte looked quite regal when she arrived at Westminster Abbey wearing a white Alexander McQueen dress that matched her mother's gown under her special coronation robe. Additionally, Charlotte wore a headpiece that was a smaller version of the one that adorned Kate's head. The silver bullion accessory featured three-dimensional leaf embroidery.

Charlotte has embraced her role as the only sister in the Cambridge household, whether helping out her mom around the house or hanging out with her brothers, which was no different at King Charles' coronation. The young princess easily stepped into the role of big sister, taking her younger brother, Prince Louis, by the hand and looking after him. Charlotte also looked so proud of her older brother, Prince George, as he passed by her during the processional, as evidenced by a video uploaded to TikTok. As soon as she spotted her big brother, Charlotte sweetly looked over at her father as if to say, "There's our boy."

Princess Charlotte has grown up in other ways aside from being a great sister to her brothers. This year actually marked her first time being able to sit in the royal box at Wimbledon. Charlotte has shown quite an interest in tennis, and judging by her facial expressions, it's clear that she understands the game and what's going on during the match. At times, the camera lens caught Charlotte sitting back, wearing her sunglasses and taking it all in, but she didn't hold back her emotions either. 

Charlotte is proving that she's getting older and more mature, so she is able to attend events like Wimbledon without too much fuss from her parents. Of course, her older brother is in a similar boat. Prince George was also at the match cheering on the competitors at the men's finals, and we're certain he was giving his younger sister some insight as the future king has been taking private tennis lessons with the legendary Roger Federer. "At that stage it's all about just touch the ball, it's already good. Same with my boys. I think I have a little advantage that I actually spent some time, you know, with him," Federer previously said.

Prince Louis is the youngest of the Cambridge children, but he has also come a long way over the past year. The biggest change that we've noticed in the youngster simply came by way of his age. In 2023, Louis turned 5-years-old, officially leaving his baby years behind. Yes, Louis is still a silly boy who loves to make funny faces and give his parents a run for their money, but he is starting to channel his energy into different things. For example, he attended the Royal International Air Tattoo in July with his family and gave a little wave to onlookers, according to Harper's Bazaar. Of course, Louis still kept everyone laughing with his reactions, but he looked more like a big boy than a little kid.

Louis will continue to grow and change as he gets older, but we already see a big difference — and he has two older siblings who have done a wonderful job paving the way for him.