Cheeky Prince George is snapped sticking his tongue out

Prince George was snapped sticking his tongue out on his way to Windsor after the Queen’s funeral at Westminster Abbey yesterday.

Amateur photographer Matt White, 30, captured the photograph, showing the nine-year-old pulling the funny face out of view of his mother the Princess of Wales, who sat behind her two eldest children, George and Princess Charlotte, seven. 

George, who is now second in line to the throne, and Charlotte remained dignified during their appearance at the historic abbey as they kept close to their mother, Kate, 40, and were comforted by various members of the royal family – including Sophie Wessex.

They joined the rest of the senior royals at the Committal Service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, journeying via car, which is when Matt, from Greenhithe, Kent, caught the candid snap of George. His brother Prince Louis, four, dominated headlines following his cheeky displays throughout the Platinum Jubilee events in June. 

Matt stayed out all night between Sunday and Monday to get a front row seat on the Queen’s funeral parade. The sales consultant said he didn’t sleep a wink throughout the night, but that the wait was completely worth it.

He said: ‘The atmosphere through the whole night was just amazing. It was such a great crowd and we were on the barrier so got a great view. I wasn’t expecting it to be as big and great as it was.

‘We were told to take down our tents at about five in the morning, which we’d had up since about eight in the evening. Initially we’d put them up at about seven, but had to take them down because police said we had to wait an hour.

‘Some of us slept, but with all the noise and it being quite cold and uncomfortable I just stayed up overnight. It was quite a sombre day, but a hell of a day overall. The procession was just absolutely amazing.’

Matt said he didn’t even realise he had taken the photo of Prince George until Monday afternoon.

He added: ‘I’m just a bit of an amateur photographer, so I borrowed a camera for the day to get some better photos.

‘I’d seen Prince George and Kate go by and snapped a photo of their car, but it was only a very quick photo so I didn’t think it would be that good. I only realised later when I was looking through the photos that George was pulling that face.

‘It was quite a funny thing to get a photo of – especially as he’s now second in line for the throne and his brother did the same thing at the jubilee.’

How Prince George, 9, and Princess Charlotte, 7, proved they were ready for the enormity of the Queen’s state funeral after flawless high-profile outings at the Platinum Jubilee and Prince Philip’s Service of Thanksgiving 

Prince George and Princess Charlotte attended Her Majesty’s funeral at Westminster Abbey yesterday – before joining senior royals at the Committal Service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.

The two eldest children of the Prince and Princess of Wales remained dignified throughout their appearance as they kept close to their mother, Kate, 40, and were comforted by various members of the royal family – including Sophie Wessex.

Prior to the Queen’s state funeral, George, nine, Charlotte, seven, had proved they could be trusted to deal with the spotlight after successfully appearing at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June and Prince Philip‘s Service of Thanksgiving in March.

William, 40, and Kate decided the brother and sister duo were ‘up to’ going to Her Majesty’s funeral but Louis was ‘too young’. The four-year-old prince dominated headlines following his cheeky displays throughout the Jubilee events.

Sources called the decision to include George and Charlotte, who are second and third in line to the throne, in  yesterday’s event a ‘collective family decision’.

‘As parents they have, of course, thought long and hard about whether their children should accompany them,’ a source told The Daily Mail. ‘Of course little Louis is too young, but they think George and Charlotte are up to it.’ 

It came after they appeared at the funeral of Prince Philip, their great-grandfather last year, and their attendance at yesterday’s farewell events gave them a chance to say goodbye to Her Majesty, who they affectionately called ‘Gan Gan’. 

The Daily Mail understands that William and Kate thought ‘long and hard’ about whether their two eldest children should join them. 

But after George and Charlotte attended their great-grandfather’s memorial in March, William and Kate decided they could cope with the solemnity of the occasion. Louis, the couple’s youngest, is just four and did not join.

The older siblings also showed their maturity when attending the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations – with both George and Charlotte being well behaved throughout the four-day occasion.

They even joined the Prince and Princess of Wales on a visit to Cardiff, and took part in a walkabout at Cardiff Castle.

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told FEMAIL: ‘Some will have been surprised that nine- year-old Prince George, who is second in line to the throne and his sister Princess Charlotte who is seven and third in line, attended both the late Queen’s funeral and the subsequent Committal Service at Windsor.

‘However the way their parents have involved them in public events meant that they were in fact prepared for what for some would have been onerous, especially when so young.

‘This year George has been seen in public a good deal. Appearances at Prince Philip’s Memorial Service and at several events during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations and also at the Six Nations Rugby match where he chatted publicly and seemed to enjoy himself will have made him confident.

‘It can be seen that both have been well trained in public appearances and they would undoubtedly have wanted to attend events honouring their beloved “Gan-Gan”. 

‘They behaved impeccably and also gave the watching world a glimpse of the future of the monarchy. This was a day which honoured one of the greatest ever Britons and in participating they were walking with history.’

Yesterday, Kate offered constant reassurance to George and Charlotte throughout the Queen’s funeral to help the young royals cope with the most difficult day of their young lives. 

Heir-to-the-throne George and his younger sister Charlotte joined senior royals at the historic event, beginning their day bypassing thousands of mourners on the streets of London as they travelled to Westminster Abbey with the Queen Consort and the Princess of Wales.

Kate, clearly aware that her two elder children would find the day emotionally difficult, provided a constant source of comfort to George and his younger sister, who wore a smart black hat with a bow and a horseshoe brooch given to her by the late Queen, as they prepared to bid a final farewell to their beloved ‘Gan-Gan’.  

It was clear from the first sighting of the siblings, who travelled in a royal car with their parents before later transferring to a procession car with Kate and Camilla that both children appeared to grasp the enormity of the day in spite of their tender years.

The Queen’s great grandchildren cut solemn figures as they were driven to Westminster Abbey ahead of the Queen’s state funeral, which saw 2,000 dignitaries, foreign royals and politicians pour into the historic London abbey. 

Her Majesty made her final and saddest journey from Westminster Hall as Britain mourned its longest-serving monarch and the royals bade goodbye to a beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. 

For George and Charlotte, the Princess of Wales, 40, provided a reassuring presence throughout, tightly holding onto her daughter’s hand as the family arrived at Westminster Abbey – and offering a pat on the knee to her eldest son as the family were seated ahead of the service. 

Princess Charlotte wore a black mourning coat with velour collar and matching wide-brimmed hat, while George was dressed in a navy blue suit with a black tie.

George appeared mature beyond his years, appreciating the history of the moment, and waiting patiently as his father Prince William arrived into the Abbey after walking behind the Queen’s coffin. 

The Princess of Wales continued with a series of supportive gestures to her daughter, including guiding her into the Abbey with a gentle hand as the family walked through the oak doors. 

Kate and William are believed to have brought the second-in-line to the throne to the historic event after senior palace advisers them to consider letting him attend the state funeral because of the powerful symbolic message it sends. 

The death of their great-grandmother the Queen will be a heavy blow to Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, as they and their parents begin a new life at Adelaide Cottage in the grounds of Windsor Castle – where Her Majesty spent most of the year.

During royal walkabouts and engagements this week, the Princess of Wales has offered a glimpse into the grief of her children, saying that Prince George has a greater understanding of their Gan-Gan’s passing.

Days ago, Prince William said the couple are ‘trying to keep everything constant’ for their three children since the death of their beloved Grannie. 

While speaking with well-wishers outside the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, the Queen’s grandson Prince William told royal fans the children are ‘settling in’ after their great grandmother passed away during ‘the first week of school’. But he added they were ‘doing ok’. 

He told well-wisher Karen Anvil: ‘We’re trying to keep everything constant and settled for them.’

As royal fans chatted with the Prince of Wales, he admitted there was lots of talk of the Queen’s death among the pupils – and agreed it was the ‘only talking point’.