The best royal live TV moments ever: From Prince Louis to Christmas at Sandringham as BBC team is put at risk

A proposed staff shakeup at the BBC has caused fury after it was revealed the broadcaster plans to slash the team behind coverage of royal events.

The Mail on Sunday reported the BBC is culling the six-person BBC Studio Events Productions – responsible for covering State events like the Queen’s funeral and King Charles’s coronation – in an ‘anti-British’ cost-cutting measure.

With the BBC expected to retain just one team member, a source told this newspaper the corporation’s coverage of historically significant royal events like Trooping the Colour and the Festival of Remembrance will suffer. 

This means royal fans may have to contend with shorter programmes, meaning they are likely to miss out on important milestones and heartwarming moments if the move is pushed through.

Insiders at Buckingham Palace are also worried the decision will have a knock-on effect on production quality and the scheduling prominence afforded to them previously.

As critics accuse the BBC of prioritising woke events like Glastonbury over more traditional ones, we look back at some of the most memorable royal TV moments:

William and Kate’s first kiss as husband and wife  

There were several unforgettable moments during the broadcast of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s royal wedding at Westminster Abbey in 2011. Whether it was the sight of William driving his new bride to Clarence House in a vintage Aston Martin or Kate’s younger sister Pippa’s showstopping arrival, every little detail remains etched in the hearts of millions of Britons. 

But their kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace will go down in history. Live coverage also captured the moment Kate had appeared to gasp ‘Oh my’ as she caught sight of the thousands of people who’d streamed into the public spaces around Buckingham Palace to share in the joy of the newlyweds.

Prince Harry and Kate’s banter 

One year after the royal wedding, Prince Harry’s close bond with his sister-in-law was on full display during the late Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012. 

Harry, then 28, had Kate in fits of laughter as they watched the flypast on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during Trooping the Colour. Footage showed Harry and Kate exchanging jokes while Prince William – standing next to his grandmother – kept a straight face.

Soon after, ‘Kate and Harry’ started trending on X – then Twitter – as royal fans said they are ‘like a proper brother and sister’. 

Over a decade later, the Prince and Princess of Wales are estranged from Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, following the Sussexes’ acrimonious exit from the royal family. 

Camilla’s look of love for Charles 

The balcony of Buckingham Palace has been the site of many memorable royal family moments over the years. 

In July 2018, Camilla was captured looking lovingly at now-King Charles as they joined Queen Elizabeth to watch a fly-past marking 100 years of the RAF. 

‘The Fab Four’ – as Prince William, Kate, Prince Harry, and Meghan were collectively known – also appeared on the balcony together. The event marked one of Meghan’s earliest appearances after her wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018; footage showed her sharing a laugh with Kate in footage from a happier time in their relationship. 

Meghan’s ‘awkward’ Trooping the Colour

Shortly after returning from her Mediterranean honeymoon with Prince Harry, Meghan joined the royal family for her first Trooping the Colour in June 2018.

However, the new Duchess of Sussex appeared visibly nervous as footage showed her standing behind Kate. Royal fans also questioned her outfit choice as the former Suits actress picked an off-the-shoulder, blush pink Carolina Herrera dress. 

Her shoulder-baring frock broke royal tradition and was a striking departure from the typical demure looks normally favoured at such occasions events.

Kate and William’s Royal Variety Performance date night 

Royal fans couldn’t get enough of Kate and William during an especially loved-up appearance at the Royal Variety Performance in 2019. 

The Prince and Princess looked smitten with each other as the hosts, Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan, introduced the royal couple.

They joked that they were on a ‘date night’ as the camera focused on them laughing and giggling in the Royal Box, before the comedians asked whether they had aid the babysitter to stay ‘until 12 or 1’ – joking: ‘It’s always worth £20 for the extra hour.’

Prince Louis’s scene-stealing Trooping the Colour 

The youngest child of the Prince and Princess of Wales, Louis, won himself a legion of fans with his cheeky antics in 2022. 

Louis, then four, stole the show at the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022 during an appearance that cemented his status as the internet’s favourite royal. 

The toddler was spotted grumpily covering his ears during a flyover at Trooping the Colour, and was scolded by his older sister Princess Charlotte, then seven, for waving too much in a carriage procession.

The little prince’s moods ranged wildly from annoyance and despair to excitement as Louis was spotted chatting animatedly with his great-grandmother. 

Royal fans on social media found his ever-changing moods extremely relatable, with images of the prince pulling hilarious faces circulating online for months.

Princess Charlotte’s gentle reminder for Prince George  

Prince William and Kate’s daughter, Princess Charlotte, was seen giving her older brother, Prince George, a gentle lesson in royal protocol during the late Queen’s funeral. 

In an especially moving clip, Charlotte could be seen reminding George that he ‘has to bow’ as the Queen’s coffin went past while en route to Windsor, following the state funeral at Westminster Abbey. 

As the casket passed the young royals, Princess Charlotte could be seen telling her brother ‘you need to bow’. The older child appeared to take his sister’s instruction on board, lowering his head as the monarch’s coffin passed him.

Her Majesty’s beloved Corgis say goodbye

The sight of Her Majesty’s beloved corgis waiting patiently for her coffin to arrive at Windsor Castle was absolutely heartbreaking. 

Muick and Sandy, now in the care of disgraced former prince Andrew, were seen waiting in the quadrangle with two aides before the late monarch was laid to rest in St George’s Chapel. 

The Queen was known for her love of corgis and owned more than 30 across her reign that spanned 70 years.

Footage showed Andrew affectionately petting them as he arrived ahead of the ceremony before his mother’s coffin was lowered into St George’s Royal Vault.

Princess Anne’s showstopping Coronation appearance 

Princess Anne earned plaudits from fans around the world after she took on a starring role as Charles’s bodyguard during his Coronation on May 6, 2023. 

The Princess Royal attended the historic ceremony at Westminster Abbey, accompanied by her husband, Sir Tim Laurence.

Dressed in full regalia as Colonel of the Blues and Royals, beneath a green velvet robe, the princess upheld the gravitas of the royal occasion.

But once the King and Queen were anointed and crowned, Anne, then 72, dispensed with her ceremonial robe and got on horseback, in what many said remains one of her finest moments to date.  

The King’s sister rode immediately behind the Gold State Coach, holding the prestigious role of ‘Gold Stick-in-Waiting’ – leading her brother’s security escort until he arrived at Buckingham Palace. 

An awkward royal reunion between Prince Harry and Prince William 

Three years after he quit the Royal Family, Prince Harry’s appearance at his father’s Coronation ceremony was decidedly awkward. 

One moment in particular sparked a frenzy on X/Twitter after fans noticed Harry, 38, shot his older brother William a ‘severe side-eye glance’ following a breakdown of their once-close relationship. 

At the time, a body language expert said: ‘William is clearly not about to look back here and Harry’s severe side-eye glance suggests he’s sneaking this thunderous look almost unintentionally.

‘When we tell ourselves not to do something, the brain only tends to hear the suggestion without processing the “don’t” command, suggesting the more Harry was telling himself not to look across at his brother, the more he couldn’t stop.’

Princess Charlotte’s stern words for Prince Louis 

Prince Louis is known for his mischievous ways during official royal engagements, with Princess Charlotte often seen trying to rein her younger brother in. 

During the Trooping the Colour in 2024, Charlotte, then nine, appeared to take her role as the older sister very seriously as she told Louis off, not once, but twice. 

She ordered cheeky Louis to stand up straight on the Buckingham Palace balcony, as the family gathered to watch the flypast at the annual event.

Earlier in the day, the prince was once again told off by his sister as she ordered him to ‘stop’ his dancing, whilst standing at a window in the Horse Guards building, so they could watch King Charles inspecting the troops outside.

Prince Louis and his ‘fun aunt’ Sophie

The sweet bond between the Duchess of Edinburgh and Prince Louis – the youngest Wales child – was evident at the Trooping the Colour last year as Sophie stepped into her role as a ‘protective’ yet fun-loving great-auntie.

The King’s Birthday Parade featured many memorable moments Prince Louis, seven, and members of The Firm as everyone – from King Charles to Prince George – tried to keep up with the cheekiest royal’s antics.

From trying to copy his grandfather’s wave to reducing his otherwise-composed older brother George, 11, to fits of laughter, the seven-year-old prince completely stole the show at the festivities on Saturday.

There was, however, one particularly sweet moment that royal fans noticed as they gushed over Louis’s ‘fun aunt’, the Duchess of Edinburgh, and their close relationship after spotting them together on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

Kate’s heartfelt hug during Sandringham walkabout 

Royal fans were delighted to see Kate during her family’s Christmas festivities at Sandringham after the princess’s cancer treatment in 2024. 

Kate, who opted for a festive green coat, was typically warm and friendly as she greeted well-wishers, but one interaction was especially noteworthy. 

Footage showed the princess hugging a cancer patient as Kate Maclean, from North Lincolnshire, said it had been a ‘privilege’ to meet Kate. 

Prince George’s poignant debut at the Festival of Remembrance 

The future heir to the throne, Prince George, made a poignant debut at the Festival of Remembrance in London last November. 

Accompanied by his mother, the Princess of Wales, George put on a brave face as he walked into the historic Royal Albert Hall. George, who wore a black suit complete with a poppy pin, sat beside Kate and his grandfather, King Charles. 

Moment William ‘avoids’ Beatrice at Sandringham 

It was a blink-and-miss-it moment, but a brief clip of Prince William with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie during last year’s Christmas walkabout at Sandringham has taken on a new significance in the wake of their father’s disgrace. 

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal titles over his ties to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and continues to live in exile after his arrest earlier this year. 

Despite cutting Andrew out of the royal family, King Charles invited his nieces to Sandringham in what was seen as a show of solidarity. However, eagle-eyed fans on X/Twitter suggested his son, Prince William, might have had some reservations about the family reunion.

Footage of William, 43, leaving St Mary Magdalene Church on Christmas morning appeared to show the future King giving his cousin Eugenie, 35, the cold shoulder.

As she walked beside him, William avoided making eye contact with Eugenie and instead remained focused on fixing his scarf before catching up with the Princess of Wales and his daughter, Princess Charlotte, 10.

Fans on X recalled an earlier Christmas when William seemingly ‘scarfed’ his estranged sister-in-law, Meghan Markle, adding it’s his ‘go-to avoidance mechanism’.