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Topics: Prince William, Royal Family, Sport
Rhianna Benson
Topics: Prince William, Royal Family, Sport
Sports fans flicking through their TV guides at the weekend would have struggled not to come face-to-face with a member of the Royal Family.
Despite countless familiar faces from the British institution being spotted in the crowd at some of the world's most prestigious sporting finales over Saturday and Sunday, there was one, much-loved member of the monarchy missing from the festivities - Prince Louis.
That's right, the nation's favourite Royal trouble-causer was noticeably absent from the handful of high-profile events attended by his parents, the Wales', over the weekend, leading some spectators to wonder what the youngster could have possibly done to warrant being left out of the fun.
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It turns out, however, that the youngest of Kate and Wills' kids remained at home whilst his older siblings were out on the town for a pretty legitimate - but probably surprising - reason.
Those watching the Grand Slam final at Wimbledon on Saturday afternoon will recall the Princess of Wales and her daughter, Princess Charlotte, receiving a standing ovation from crowds attending the Centre Court game.
This marked the nine-year-old's second appearance at a Wimbledon finale, having made her Royal Box debut aged eight in 2023.
When it comes to why six-year-old Prince Louis - who is reportedly an avid tennis fan himself - was absent from the celebrity-littered soiree, however, it turns out that Wimbledon has some pretty strict rules on decorum.
According to the Wimbledon Code of Conduct Guide, elaborate or distracting behaviour of any kind whilst the match is in progress is grounds for removal.
"Please don’t make any noise during a rally," the rules state.
Is it really a surprise, therefore, that the young Prince - who is famed for shoving his hands over his ears on the palace's balcony at the late Queen's jubilee in 2022, and the frantic waving display he put on at his grandfather's King Charles' Coronation last year - was left at home over the weekend?
Whilst his sister was sinking her teeth into tennis on Saturday, Louis' older brother and second-in-line to the throne, Prince George, was spotted at Berlin's Olympiastadion along with their father, Prince William, where they cheered on the Three Lions prior to their devastating defeat against Spain in the Euros 2024 final.
The father-son duo cheered elatedly when Cole Palmer brought England to equalise their Spanish opponents during the second-half, before their hope of victory was dashed when Spain scored a second blinder in the final four minutes, bringing the score to 2-1.
Though the Palace hasn't yet shed light on why sports fan Prince Louis was absent from the festivities in Germany, his parents did share a sweet yet rare photo of him and Charlotte watching the game from at home in England, wearing matching football tops, each baring their name and age.
It may well be that the Wales' hoped to keep their youngest away from the often-chaotic nature of football fans when the stakes are high, or that they believe - like Wimbledon - that the Louis is simply too young to attend such a high-profile event.
We'll never know, but we hope to see you soon, Lou!