Playful Prince Louis's speedy rescue of 'bored' grandad King Charles at major event

King Charles was "bored out of his mind" at Coronation rehearsals until his grandson Prince Louis came to the rescue, Penny Mordaunt has said. 

The former Conservative MP, who was speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, said the monarch, 77, "glazed over" in his coronation chair after two weeks of practice and looked like he'd "had enough". 

Luckily, his grandson Prince Louis, the youngest child of the Prince and Princess of Wales, showed up – and the King soon "sprung to life" again. 

Penny recalled, as per the Telegraph: "We were doing dress rehearsals on the Thursday before, and the King was bored out of his mind. He’d just done two weeks of this, and he’d had enough. I was watching him glaze over in the coronation chair.

"And then he suddenly sprung to life because beside him was Prince Louis, who had come to visit. They stopped the rehearsal so that he could show Prince Louis all the Crown Jewels. That’s a memory that I shall treasure."

Politician Penny, 53, famously carried the 4ft, 8lb Sword of State into Westminster Abbey for more than an hour before presenting it to the new King.

She previously opened up about being the "lightning rod" on the day for attention, admitting she found it all "very embarrassing". 

King Charles and Prince Louis's close bond

Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis all share a close bond with the King, whom they affectionately call "Grandpa Wales".

Prince William and Princess Catherine named their third child Louis Arthur Charles as a nod to his grandfather, while the monarch also has Arthur as a middle name.

Their close bond was seen clearly at the late Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022 when Louis sweetly climbed into his grandfather's lap. 

At one point, William appeared to ask his father: "Grandpa, can Louis sit on your knee?" Louis then happily made his way over to Charles, and the pair watched together.

At Trooping the Colour each year, which celebrates the King's official birthday, Louis clearly entertains his granddad with his excitable antics, and the pair can often be seen waving together.

At the Easter service earlier in 2026, Charles was seen blowing a loving kiss to his grandchildren as they arrived at St George's Chapel. 

HELLO!'s Royal Editor Emily Nash said previously: "The King is close to all of the Wales children and regularly meets up with them at Windsor on Sundays."

Looking back at the Coronation

Charles was crowned on 6 May 2023 at Westminster Abbey, attended by senior royals including the Waleses and representatives from European monarchies. 

Prince Harry arrived without Meghan Markle, who stayed in the US, but left shortly after the service ended, taking a flight back to LA.

King Charles and Queen Camilla returned to Scotland this weekend, attending church at Crathie Kirk near Balmoral. 

It comes as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor takes police action over his arrest in February, amid revelations that the King paid £1.5 million for his repairs at Royal Lodge.