Prince Louis carried out his first-ever royal engagement by getting down to work on a day of volunteering to celebrate his grandfather King Charles’s Coronation.
The five-year-old, who missed last night’s Coronation Concert due to his young age and the late finish, joined his parents the Prince and Princess of Wales as well as his siblings Prince George and Princess Charlotte for the third day of celebrations.
They all took part in the Big Help Out at 3rd Upton Scouts Hut in Slough to assist in renovating and improving the building.
They helped with tasks including resetting a path, digging a new soakaway, sanding and revarnishing the front door, adding planters to the front of the building, and adding a mural to create a lasting legacy of the Big Help Out’s work. Kate has been joint president of the Scouts since 2020.
Louis, wearing his trademark shorts, sat in his father’s lap as William operated a digger and moved the mechanical arm to grab a bucket full of the soil before dumping it on a spoil heap.
Later the five-year-old prince was given the task of filling a wheelbarrow with what looked like builders’ sand and he focused on the job, diligently shoveling the material before wheeling the barrow himself.
George, in his Nike trainers, was allowed to use a drill and concentrated as he worked making a hole in a piece of wood.
Charlotte was spotted painting what appeared to be doors and Louis tried his hand at interior decorating, making hand prints on a wall under the direction of Kate.
The family also tried their hands at archery and as a treat for their hard work, the young royals and their parents, who were presented with Scouts neckties, toasted marshmallows and ate smores before posing for a group photo with the other volunteers.
The 3rd Upton Scouts Hut was built in 1982 and is used by a variety of community groups in the area, including the local mosque, a senior citizens contact group for members of the Asian community, and the Scout group themselves.
The building is also used by ‘Slough All Nations,’ a group with a heritage spanning across St. Kitts & Nevis, which provides recreation and leisure activities to improve health and well-being and promote community cohesion.
King Charles and Queen Camilla will not be appearing publicly today – the day of the Big Help Out, which is billed as a lasting volunteering legacy to mark Charles’ crowning.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh Sophie and Edward are taking part in a puppy class at the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association Training Centre in Reading.
Meanwhile, Princess Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence attended a County Civic Service recognizing local volunteers at Gloucester Cathedral.
The Big Help Out Day is organized by The Together Coalition and partners such as The Scouts, the Royal Voluntary Service, and faith groups from across the United Kingdom.
It will highlight the positive impact volunteering has on communities and will encourage people to try volunteering for themselves to create a lasting legacy.
The day of volunteering comes after Charles and Camilla attended the star-studded coronation concert at Windsor Castle last night featuring actors, singers, and entertainers – and Kermit the Frog who managed to gatecrash the royal box.
