40+ Photos of the Royal Family That Show They're Just Like Us

Members of the Royal Family must follow strict rules, both for their own safety and because of long standing traditions. They cannot simply go for a walk or go grocery shopping. No, everything must be planned carefully in order to keep them safe. They also have to follow guidelines about what to wear and how to behave.

However, even with all that makes the Royal Family different from us, they are still people underneath it all. They like to goof around, make jokes, and laugh. They make mistakes, do silly things, and have fun with their loved ones. When these moments are caught on camera, it reminds us that Royals are actually just like us. Here are some of the best candid photos of the Royal Family that prove that they are regular people.

The losing side

It’s never great when the person you’re rooting for doesn’t win. Whether you’re watching a sports game or TV show, it’s always devastating to be on the losing side. William and Kate apparently know that all too well, judging by their reactions here.

With the Duke putting his head in his hands and the Duchess crying out in defiance, their responses are something most people can probably relate to. They might have only been watching a tennis match, but to them, it felt like the most important game in history.

No time to waste

Camilla really loves ice cream. That’s certainly the impression we seem to be getting, anyway, judging from all these pictures. Not only is she liable to making a mess like the rest of us, but she also can’t help digging in without waiting.

No time to waste

Fits of laughter

What was Kate’s response to all this? To burst out laughing. It was such a genuine response of joy that it was hard not to laugh along with her. Even though Kate is often seen as a figure of class and poise in the Royal Family, she’s still incredibly down to earth.

It helps that she’s such a hands-on mother, something that hasn’t always been common in the Royal Family. Before Princess Diana came along, there was often a gap between parents and kids that has thankfully now been bridged.

Jumping for joy

While William and Kate were supporting the losing side, Eugenie and Beatrice were most definitely backing the winners. This was how the two sisters responded when the Queen’s horse won the Gold Cup at Ascot back in 2013.

The pair are clearly ecstatic about their grandmother’s victory, with Beatrice even appearing to jump for joy. Again, what person hasn’t responded like this after getting invested in one competition or another? It’s natural to get excited when the person – or in this case, horse – that you’re backing clinches the win.

Joker of the pack

It’s relatively safe to say that Harry will always be the joker of his family. While all the royals have proven they can act a bit silly at times, he’s definitely the one who goofs around the most. We don’t see too much of it nowadays, but when he was younger, he was always pulling faces and messing about.

Even the Queen appears to delight in his antics, and she’s so rarely seen with a smile on her face. Now that Harry and Meghan are taking a “step back” as senior royals and dividing their time between the UK and Canada, scenes like this will be even rarer.

My popcorn

Prince Harry has a way with kids. We’ve seen it time and time again, when he charmingly greets the small children who come with their parents to see him. In this particular case, Harry was watching a volleyball match at the Invictus Games in Toronto in 2017.

He was seated next to a two-year-old named Emily Henson, who is the daughter of a friend of the Prince. Suddenly, while Harry was engrossed in the match, little Emily began stealing his popcorn, unaware that she was stealing from royalty. At first Harry didn’t notice, but once he did, he engaged in adorable shenanigans, playing around with the little girl. The situation is just so real and relatable.

Stuck

We’ve all been there. Wearing high heels is not easy, especially when you have to walk across treacherous paths or uneven roads.

Even Duchess Kate Middleton, who is usually the picture of poise and grace, couldn’t escape the throes of the grate in the road. Her heel got caught inside and her Royal husband had to help her out.

A young Mr. Roboto

Prince George is only five years old, and he’s already far and away our favorite member of the Royal Family. In this photo, he demonstrates why. It was taken during the wedding of Sophie Carter, his mom’s friend.

George, as he so often does, simply had to steal the show. Standing next to the other pageboys and his sister, Princess Charlotte, George was either doing a little robot dance or mimicking the marching of soldiers. Both options are equally adorable, so we don’t really care which one it is.

Planning his escape

It seems Prince George has been trying to get away from boring royal engagements for longer than we thought. Before he was pulling faces on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, he was trying to make a break for it after an exhausting plane ride.

The young royal appears to be pushing away from his mother as he looks off to the side, presumably planning his escape route. Maybe the boy is daunted by the prospect of becoming king, so he wants to get out of there before it’s too late.

A twist ending?

Duchess Kate is the picture of a prim and proper English noblewoman. It’s precisely because of that fact that seeing her pull funny faces is so out of character – and hilarious! In this photo, Kate was snapped visiting London’s Natural History Museum in 2013.

She was viewing a nature documentary by filmmaker David Attenborough when she made this face, which just screams shock and awe. The explanation? Since it was a documentary, we’re pretty sure the person next to her wasn’t whispering any spoilers, so your guess is as good as ours.

Just two brothers and a snake

Growing up, Prince William and Prince Harry were more than brothers – they were also the best of friends. In this picture from 2010, the two Princes were on a Royal tour of Botswana when they were offered the chance to hold a massive snake.

They started out nervous, but as they got more comfortable with the huge reptile draped around their necks, they started messing around. Here, Prince Harry is holding the snake’s head in his older brother’s face, trying to freak him out as they both laugh.

Mother-son bonding

People often view the older members of the Royal Family as more serious than their younger relatives. However, just because they’ve been part of the monarchy longer, that doesn’t mean the stiff upper lip never slips.

People like the Queen and Prince Charles enjoy a good joke as much as everyone else, even when they’re out in public. Neither is able to contain themselves here in what’s a lovely display of mother-son bonding. It seems that you can never be too old to have a good time with your mom.

Nodding off

When you first glance at this picture, it seems to be a beautiful photograph of a quiet moment between Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. The stunning Duchess of Sussex is smiling at her Prince Charming with love in her eyes.

However, if you look past them, you might notice something else going on. Prince William is sitting on the other side of Duchess Meghan, and he is struggling to keep his eyes open. This picture was taken at the Anzac Day ceremony at Westminster Abbey, just two days after his wife, Duchess Kate Middleton, gave birth to their third child. It only makes sense that he was super tired, just like anyone else would be in such a situation!

She’s at it again

Kids really will be kids, whether they’re part of the Royal Family or not. Princess Charlotte was caught sticking her tongue out again recently, this time at The King’s Cup regatta. The child was with her mom when Kate pointed to their fans and suggested that Charlotte should wave.

The Princess had other ideas, though. Rather than being polite and courteous with the onlookers, she instead gave them the tongue. To be honest, any kind of reaction from a royal is worthwhile, even if this is what you get.

Trooping of the tongues

There seems to be something with the Royal Family and sticking out their tongues. In 2015, little Prince George was watching the annual Trooping of the Color parade from a window with his nanny and several other little Royals.

He was enjoying his great-grandmother’s birthday celebration so much that he stuck his tongue out in joy and the adorable moment was caught on camera. Even though there was a lot going on in the parade, this photograph is the most memorable from the day.

Incredibly grateful

Has anyone ever gifted you something that you’ve always wanted? In that moment, it’s hard to keep your emotions in check. You’re just so grateful to them that you don’t know whether to laugh, cry, or scream.

While Meghan might not have always dreamed of getting a sports jersey for her son, she still seems to be having that intense reaction here. The Duchess appears overjoyed at the gift, proving that you can still show gratitude when you’re rich and famous. This is why we love Meghan so much.

High school crushes

Everyone can probably remember having at least one crush while they were in school. It turns out even the future Queen Consort Kate Middleton has had a crush or two in her day. In fact, you just might even recognize one of her most famous high school crushes.

Kate was crushing hard on Andrew Alexander – better known as Sir John Bullock from Downtown Abbey – back in the day. Unfortunately, she was too shy to say anything and he was dating a friend of hers at the time.

The dancing Prince

Prince Charles is showing us another side of his personality in this glorious picture. In a small, coastal Mexican town, the Prince of Wales proved that he was already wearing his dancing shoes when he joined in a traditional Mexican clog dance.

The Prince twirled a handkerchief over his head as he did his best to mimic the moves of the men and women dancing around him. And just look at how much fun he seems to be having!

Sibling rivalry

Friendly rivalry between siblings is pretty normal. We all want to prove that we’re faster than our brothers and sisters. Prince Harry, Prince William, and Duchess Kate are clearly not immune to the urge to win and to beat their family members.

In this glorious picture of the three of them, they are sprinting towards victory, each one trying their hardest to outrun the others. Kate is a bit behind the men, who are naturally a little faster than her, but she somehow still looks stunning with a big smile on her face. Prince William is pushing himself as hard as he can, but Harry has taken the lead and is having a great time.

Ice cream mishap

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, is Prince Charles’ wife, and is usually seen by his side. Since he is the future King of England, the pair is held to the highest standards, and we don’t often see them looking silly or unprepared for a photograph.

But just like the rest of us, Camilla apparently struggles to eat ice cream without making a mess, and a photographer caught her after she accidentally got a little bit of vanilla on her nose.

We’ve been there

Usually when we see pictures of Prince William and Kate Middleton, they are on their best behavior. They are always put together and smiling, looking too good to be true. This wasn’t always the case, however.

Just like regular people, William and Kate had their days of partying and coming home too late during their time at university. This picture captures just that. It was taken before they were married, when they were still quite young, and we really can’t even guess what’s going on in this picture.

Lovebirds

They may be the future King and Queen Consort, but that sure doesn’t mean that Prince William and Kate Middleton are not still typical lovebirds at heart. Public displays of affection may not be praised by the Palace, but that sure doesn’t stop these two from steal a hug, cuddle, or kiss, every now and then.

If their brother and sister-in-law the Duke and Duchess or Sussex can get away with this, they can, too, right?

Goofing around

It must be hard trying to act the part of a royal all the time. Just because these people come from a family of class and sophistication, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t get to let loose every so often. Luckily, the younger members of the monarchy do a great job of balancing work and play.

While the dukes and duchesses have always given their duties 110%, they also haven’t shied away from being goofy. Harry and Kate were doing just that at the London Marathon a few years ago.

The future King

During the London Marathon in 2017, Prince William and Kate Middleton were standing on the sidelines, cheering on the runners. Suddenly, William was splashed with water, which caused him to make a not so Royal looking face.

You can’t tell who did the splashing in this picture, but a video later released online seemed to show that it was actually his younger brother. Prince Harry walked up behind William and squeezed his water bottle, spraying water all over his face.

Never grow up

We already mentioned the fact that Prince Harry seems to have a way with children, which is really wonderful since he recently became a father.

He demonstrated that goofy personality that allows him to bond with little ones when he was in Dublin with his wife Meghan Markle. In this picture, a four-year-old boy pulled at Harry’s beard. The Prince played right along with the boy’s gesture, and was even heard responding, “You might have a beard soon — you never know!”

Princess breakdown

Anyone who has spent time with children knows that no matter how well behaved they are, they all have moments where they throw tantrums or misbehave. This does not exclude Royal children, either.

Little Princess Charlotte has captured the hearts of the world with her cuteness and her boldness. However, she has also been caught on camera acting up, just like every other little girl in the world does. This picture is from 2017, when the Princess broke down on the tarmac during a family trip.

Close call

Everyone loses their balance sometimes, apparently even countesses. At the Royal Ascot parade in 2017, Prince William and Kate Middleton were riding in a carriage with Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and Sophie, the Countess of Wessex.

Suddenly, Sophie stood up in the carriage, lost her balance, and started to fall over. Luckily, Kate reacted quickly, catching the Countess with both hands. The two Royal women burst out laughing. It looked like a scene that could happen to anyone.

Forehead detective

What do you do when you’re a royal looking to past the time? Play party games, apparently. While visiting a homeless charity, William decided to get involved with the young people there by playing a bit of forehead detective.

It’s the original version of Ellen DeGeneres’ popular Heads Up! game that requires players to guess the person – famous or fictional – whose name is written on their forehead. William was clearly getting into the spirit of things, although whether he was any good at actually playing the game, we’re not sure.

Silly faces

Kids all over the world like making silly faces when they know cameras are pointed their way, and royal children are no exception.

Prince Harry has been in the spotlight since he was born, and he has always been known to goof off for the camera. In this adorable picture, Harry is sticking his tongue out as far as it can go, while Princess Diana is helpless in her attempts to make him behave like a proper little prince.

Snowball fight

No matter how old you are, when you find yourself in a snowy environment, it can be hard to resist the temptation to throw a snowball at someone. Even the Duchess of Cambridge couldn’t help herself.

She and Prince William were on a ski vacation when she surprised him with a perfectly aimed snowball during a photoshoot. You can see from her gleeful expression that she greatly enjoyed hitting her husband with the freezing cold snowball. William, on the other hand, looks unpleasantly surprised. He’s squishing up his face in a way that we don’t often see, since he’s usually so poised and regal. This picture shows a more playful side of William and Kate, and we like it!

Please, no more

While Camilla might not be able to help herself around food, the same apparently can’t be said for the Queen. She appears startled at the sight of these scones, although we’ve no idea why. Aren’t they supposed to be a staple of the Royal Family’s diet?

Perhaps she was full up from an earlier meal, so the thought of eating anything more really put her off. We’ve definitely been there before. As much as you want to continue, the mere sight of more food is enough to make you ill.

Who’s in there?

When it comes to sports, Prince Harry likes to get in on the action just like Prince William and Kate Middleton. When he was visiting South Africa in 2015, he joined a barefoot touch rugby game with a bunch of young athletes.

Even though Harry’s team lost, he looked like he had a great time playing. He was smiling and goofing around with the kids and even stuck his head in the shark mascot’s mouth, delighting onlookers and photographers with his silly gesture.

Dancing up a storm

It seems like William isn’t the only one who enjoys being active. His brother is exactly the same, as evidenced by this picture of him dancing up a storm in Jamaica. The Duke appears to really be getting into the groove, and the locals are loving it.

Harry probably felt like he was having a night out on the town rather than embarking on his first solo royal tour. That doesn’t matter, though; it’s just great to see him having fun. We wonder what his dance moves are like now.

Bring your daughter to work day

It’s not such a rare occasion for parents to bring their kids with them to the office. Perhaps they couldn’t get a babysitter and have to work on the weekends, or the child is sick and has to stay home from school. Whatever the reason, even people in the entertainment industry sometimes have to bring their kids to work.

Meghan’s dad worked on the set of Married… with Children and Ed O’Neill recently revealed on Ellen that Meghan practically grew up on the set of the sitcom. She would come to the filming location every day after school as a kid – dressed in her Catholic school uniform – and hang out while her dad worked.

My bubbles!

Kids love bubbles. Everyone knows that. It doesn’t matter if you’re a prince or if you’re just an average little boy because kids are kids, no matter their title. This means that George would react as any other child when he sees a bunch of bubbles and this adorable photo is proof of that.

He looks as intrigued by these floating bubbles as the character in Finding Nemo who tried to keep all of the bubbles in the fish tank to himself.

Anywhere but here

It’s both a blessing and a curse to be born into the Royal Family. On the one hand, you grow up with fame, fortune, and the prospect of ascending the throne in the future. However, there’s plenty of stuff that the royals have to do which is pretty boring.

While the adults have learned how to cope with this, the children haven’t. That’s why it’s not uncommon to see the kids pulling faces when they’re forced to do something they find boring. Don’t worry, George, we understand your pain.

Yikes

We have seen many pictures of Kate Middleton and Prince William playing sports together, and we are well aware that they both like to keep active and fit. But in 2014, Kate decided to take part in a cricket match in high heels.

Usually, Kate is poised and put together, but she also has an arsenal of funny faces. When one of Will’s pitches came a little too close for comfort, Kate behaved just as any of us would – leaning out of the way and grimacing to avoid getting hit.

Be like the best

Nearly everyone has an idol – someone they hope to one day follow in the footsteps of. These could be political leaders, actors, or even reality show stars. In the case of Prince Harry, he seems to look up greatly to legendary athlete Usain Bolt.

That’s why he’s doing what so many have done before him and copying the man’s famous pose. Well, that’s certainly one way to try and replicate the man’s success. However, we think it’ll take more than that to beat Bolt’s impressive 100m and 200m world records.

The future king, everybody

There’s nothing the Royal Family loves better than horse races. In this photo, taken during the Houghton International Horse trials, Kate Middleton gave little importance to the fact that the little boy whose face she was wiping will be the king of England one day.

Prince George had just finished eating something, possibly ice cream, and had made a mess. Kate, like the amazing mother that she is, wiped his chin of any excess chocolate. In the biggest moments – and in the smallest – you can just feel the love.

Laughing the day away

It’s a known fact that whenever people send “lol” in a text message, there’s a huge chance they are not actually laughing out loud. It does look like, however, that if any of the three of these Royals were to send that message at this moment, it would be an accurate description of how they are reacting.

This photo makes us wonder what exactly they’re laughing about because obviously it was pretty funny for all three of them to burst out like this.

Playful prince

This is another picture of Prince Harry doing something incredibly silly. This time however, we can only guess what he’s trying to do. Just like anyone else in the world, Harry likes messing around with his friends, and making people laugh.

Here, it appears that he’s miming what it looks like to ride a motorcycle, and perhaps he’s making the sound with his mouth. That would certainly explain his ridiculous expression! The guy standing next to him is definitely enjoying the little show.

The wave

When they were younger, Prince William and Prince Harry got into all sorts of shenanigans. They were born into the Royal Family, but they often acted just like normal boys.

In this picture it looks like Harry decided to teach the rest of the family how to do the wave. We’ve all done this at sporting events, but it’s not often we see the Royals goofing around in front of the public. They sure look like they’re having a lot of fun!

The spit take

While Harry might be the perfect family man now, he wasn’t always that way. During his younger years, the man was a bit of a rebel, and he gained a reputation as a party animal. His antics caused a fair amount of controversy, but people usually forgave him because it was hard to stay angry at Harry for long.

Besides, a lot of his behavior was nothing to get too riled up about – it was just boys being boys. Case and point, his cheeky little spit take here.

Just one bite

Who here has ever been caught trying to sneak food behind everyone’s back? Don’t worry; you’re not alone. Even the royals do it from time to time, although perhaps attempting it on live TV wasn’t the best idea that Camilla ever had.

The cameras got a perfect view of the Duchess chowing down on some tasty treats while her husband was busy talking. Of course, she couldn’t have gotten away with it even if they weren’t rolling. She still had one of the show’s presenters watching her every move.

Royal shenanigans

This candid portrait of the Royal Family captured the attention of the world. The adorable family photo was released in honor of Prince Charles’ 70th birthday in 2018.

The family is all caught off guard, with Kate and baby Prince Louis looking off in the wrong direction, Meghan Markle doubled over in laughter, Prince George cracking up on his grandfather’s knee, and Duchess Camilla showing Princess Charlotte where to look. The picture shows that the Royals really are just regular people underneath all of the hype.

Just like grandmother

Perhaps this is where that long-standing tradition of the Royals sticking out their tongues comes from! Queen Elizabeth is the longest ruling British monarch in history, and she takes her role very seriously.

That’s why It’s not often that we catch the Queen looking anything other than noble, making this is a rare exception. It’s snowing in this picture, so maybe the Queen just can’t help trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue. We understand – we do it too!

Caught off guard

As a member of the Royal Family, you get to attend lots of events on the basis that you’re doing work. A few years back, Charles and Camilla were lucky enough to go to the Sandringham Flower Show, and they had quite the day.

It was while they were there that the couple spent time with some birds of prey, one of which appeared to catch the pair off guard. Evidently, these two weren’t prepared when the bird suddenly took flight, and the photographer got the perfect shot of that.

‘The name’s Charles. Prince Charles’

The person driving that Aston Martin is none other than His Royal Highness Prince Charles. Aston Martin, in case you weren’t aware, is the car of choice for 007 himself, James Bond. While a younger Prince Charles may have gotten away with playing the (in)famous secret agent, he probably would’ve flunked out of superspy school for one simple transgression.

Charles, a noted environmentalist, told Aston Martin engineers that he wouldn’t drive their car unless it was eco-friendly. So they converted it to run on white wine. True story.

What’s on the screen?

What we wouldn’t give to see what was on that phone screen. Whatever it is, it seems to delight the dukes but not their father. Perhaps William took an unflattering photo of the man, and that’s why Charles appears unhappy.

Alternatively, he might be showing his dad a meme that the Prince doesn’t understand. The possibilities are virtually endless here, and unfortunately, we’ll never know the truth. Maybe Charles just can’t get his head around his son’s cell phone. It’s not like he grew up with that device, after all.

Tongue out toddler

Even at the most important of events, children can sometimes be silly and unpredictable. Princess Charlotte showed us all that she’s really a normal little girl at the Royal Wedding in May, 2018.

While she was in the car, she stuck her tongue out at the photographers, and was caught in this incredible photo. It was reminiscent of her uncle Prince Harry’s antics as a child, when he used to stick his tongue out at photographers. How fitting, since she was attending his wedding!

A quick warm-up

William might spend most of his time making speeches and acting like a future king, but he still enjoys having fun every so often. That includes playing polo, a sport favored by many members of the Royal Family.

The Duke has been a regular polo player for years, and this is apparently something he does before matches to prepare himself. Well, just because the game’s played on horses, that doesn’t mean his body doesn’t need to be warmed up. Besides, who doesn’t love limbering up with a bit of yoga?

Let’s take a selfie

Selfies are probably the most common way to take photos these days. While it doesn’t look like Prince William is going to be the next selfie master like Kim Kardashian or Kylie Jenner, he does love a quick pic as much as the next guy.

Here he stopped take snap a photo with a fan in the crowd like the true gentleman that he is. We’re sure this young woman will cherish this photo forever.

A duel

Two of the most famous things from the United Kingdom are the Royal Family and Harry Potter. In this rare photograph, those things come together in the most fun of fashions.

Prince William and Kate Middleton pulled out their wands and started dueling on a visit to Warner Bros. Studios in 2013. Both William and Kate, along with Harry who was also along for the trip, are big fans of Harry Potter, and were excited to see the sets. They even got to meet the author, J.K. Rowling.

Surprise!

There are a lot of pictures of Prince Harry making funny faces throughout the years. He’s always been the mischievous member of the Royal Family, and that is very clear from all of these great pictures of him.

In this one, he looks like something unexpected happened while he was carrying a tray full of cupcakes. Luckily, he was able to keep a firm grip on the tasty treats so they didn’t go tumbling, despite the look of surprise on his face.

Fix your hair, son

We’ve all probably had a relative tell us that our hair is messy and needs smoothing. Whether it’s an aunt, a grandmother, or our very own mother, they seem to always feel the need to fix our hair when out in public.

Here, little George must have been playing and messed up his blonde locks. Thankfully, mom was around to fix everything quickly and discreetly. The future king can’t be walking about with messy hair, after all.

Rock climbing

We don’t often see Prince Charles goofing around. After all, he is the future King of England and as such, he must always behave as befits the role.

However, on a trip to New Jersey in 2012, Prince Charles saw a climbing wall and couldn’t resist the challenge. Even though he was wearing a double breasted suit and brown dress shoes, he hopped up on the red rock route and made his way across. That’s just the kind of thing normal people do, too.

Edited by Vignesh Raja