NEED TO KNOW
- Kate Middleton and Prince William brought all three of their children to the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Scotland
- The outing marked a major royal first for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis
- It also came with a big milestone for Prince Louis, who had never joined his parents for a public sporting event like his siblings
Kate Middleton and Prince William’s family outing to the 2026 Commonwealth Games marked several royal firsts.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, both 44, brought all three of their children — Prince George, 13, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, 8 — to the sporting event in Glaglow, Scotland, on Saturday, Aug. 1. The family of five took in numerous events, including a netball game and track cycling, at the Games, which take place every four years and bring together athletes from across the Commonwealth of Nations.
The outing marked the first time that Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis made a public outing in Scotland. Although the children are known to visit the royal family’s Balmoral estate in the Scottish Highlands every summer with their parents, and some photos of the children there have been shared with the public, the Commonwealth Games were the first time that the siblings were seen out and about in the country.
The event also marked a special first for Prince Louis. Never before had the youngest of William and Kate’s three children joined his parents for a public sporting event.
It’s well known that the Prince and Princess of Wales are big fans of athletic events, and they’ve been spotted in the stands for soccer games, tennis matches and more. Prince George and Princess Charlotte have joined their parents at Aston Villa soccer games, and most recently, they both sat in the Royal Box at Wimbledon last month for the men’s singles finals of the prestigious tennis tournament.
Prince Louis made the most of his first public outing at a sporting event, watching the action and grinning widely as he tried on a bucket hat gifted to him from Team Wales.
Louis also gave a high-five to the Commonwealth Games’ mascot, a unicorn called Finnie.
Prince Louis has been joining his family at royal events for several years, including Trooping the Colour and holiday church outings. However, he has been known to steal the show on a number of occasions with his cheeky antics, from dancing to the band’s music to dramatically covering his ears during a noisy flypast.
Prince William and Princess Kate even acknowledged their son’s enthusiasm after the 2022 Platinum Jubilee celebrations marking Queen Elizabeth’s 70 years on the throne. They captioned a social media post of the festivities, “We all had an incredible time, especially Louis…” with the eyes emoji.
“He’s a cheeky monkey — a typical third child,” someone who knows the family previously told PEOPLE. “It’s nice that the world got to see him enjoying himself.”
Prince Louis replied, “A bit. But Charlotte says I’m not very good.”
Princess Charlotte, who shared that gymnastics was her favorite sport when she joined her parents at the Commonwealth Games in 2022, confirmed to the Ropers that she could do a handstand, but Prince George admitted that it wasn’t his strong suit.
“I’m rubbish at anything that involves flexibility,” the teen prince reportedly said.
Prince William reportedly passed on the chance to ride a tandem bike with Princess Kate after Welsh TV host Gethin Jones asked their three children, “Would you like to see mum and dad on a tandem in the velodrome later?”
Prince George replied, “No.” Then his father quipped, “We embarrass you enough as it is,” per The Telegraph.
The Prince and Princess of Wales’ appearance at the Commonwealth Games came amid their summer break. The couple, who are known by their titles as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay while in Scotland, typically spend time out of the public eye each summer to spend time with their family.
Their plans traditionally include spending time at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, the British royal family’s private estate where they gather every year in the late summer.