The old adage that says ‘never work with animals or children’ seemed to come true for Her Majesty at a royal engagement in London yesterday.
After unveiling a war memorial dedicated to the memory of those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, the monarch and her husband, Prince Philip, were greeted by Sergeant Mark Lunn, awarded the Military Cross for bravery, his wife, Corporal Michelle, and their two-year-old son, Alfie.
The toddler had been supposed to hand a bouquet of flowers to the Queen but instead, he did what – face it – our two-year-old selves would probably have done, too: he started squirming before erupting into a full blown tantrum. We’ve all been there, Alfie.
The Queen and the Duke luckily saw the funny side, and the royal couple couldn’t help but smile at Alfie’s reaction. With four children, eight grandchildren and five young great-grandchildren, after all, it’s likely that they’ve dealt with more than their fair share of toddler tantrums in their time.
The two-year-old eventually calmed down enough to greet the Queen properly, holding out his hand in a sweet gesture of friendship, and later met Prime Minister Theresa May, too.
‘They’re so unpredictable, children,’ his mother Michelle said. ‘We tried our best. He was fine up until a few minutes before the Queen arrived
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry also attended the unveiling, where the Duchess opened up about the developing dynamic between her two young children, George and Charlotte, to another guest.
‘[Kate] said that Charlotte is growing up really fast. She is the one in charge,’ Samantha Burge told reporters. ‘We have both got two-year-olds and they are ruling the roost. It was a bit of a mummy chat.’
‘[Kate said] they are both becoming really good friends, George and Charlotte.’