With her grandfather on the throne, Charlotte is now third in the line of succession.
It may be a historic day for King Charles III, but Princess Charlotte is stealing the show.
All eyes were on the adorable 8-year-old, who celebrated her birthday on Tuesday, as she stepped out with the royal family for the coronation on Saturday morning. Charlotte played the part of doting big sister to her little brother, Prince Louis, 5, as they entered Westminster Abbey behind their parents, Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Charlotte wore a white dress and cape for the momentous occasion, with her hair pulled back in a bun and the top of her head adorned with a tiny tiara to complement her mother's. Before the family's processional, Charlotte was captured by cameras tending to Louis' suit and, once inside, the siblings were seen holding hands.
With her grandfather on the throne, Charlotte is now third in the line of succession behind her father and her older brother, Prince George.
As the palace previously announced, the 9-year-old prince is serving as a page of honor at the crowning ceremony.
According to The Telegraph, George's role is historic as it marks the first time in modern history that a royal who is a future monarch is involved in the service. George, who is second in line to the throne, is the youngest future king to have a role in the ceremony.
The siblings' involvement in the coronation comes shortly after they paid their respects during the funeral for their great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
Royal expert Katie Nicholl told ET at the time that having George and Charlotte at the ceremony "very young" was sending a "clear message."
"This is the future, this is the future of the dynasty. This is a projection of what's to come. George is now second in line for the throne and I think the significance of having Charlotte was 'and this is the spare,'" Nicholl observed. "We've always had an heir and a spare, it dates back centuries ago... You look back and you see the queen was supported by Princess Margaret, her sister, Charles was supported by [Anne, Princess Royal] and William was supported up until recently by Harry. That notion of the heir and the spare is continued by George and Charlotte and it's lovely."
King Charles III's coronation on Saturday formalizes his role as the head of the Church of England and marks the transfer of his title and powers. It's also the official moment he is crowned king.
King Charles will be crowned with the St Edward's Crown from the 17th century, which weighs nearly five pounds, has a solid gold frame and 444 stones.
Meanwhile, his wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, will be anointed and crowned as queen. Camilla will be the first divorcee to be crowned, and the coronation invitation that was released in April made headlines when it referred to her as Queen Camilla for the first time. Until then, she was described as queen consort.
As for Prince Harry, he will be attending the coronation, but his wife, Meghan Markle, will not be joining him. This new comes amid tension within the royal family after the December release of Harry and Meghan's Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan, and the Duke of Sussex's bestselling memoir, Spare, which came out in January. Both the doc and the book were critical of Harry's family and also shared intimate details about the royals from the couple's perspective.
While Harry is in England, Meghan will be staying at their home in Montecito, California, with their two children -- son Archie, who is turning 4 on the day of the coronation, and 1-year-old daughter Lilibet. Despite Harry and Meghan's estrangement from the royals, the couple is featured in the official souvenir program celebrating the coronation, which includes a happy photo of the family -- including Prince William, Kate Middleton and their three kids, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis -- celebrating King Charles' 70th birthday in 2018.
Although the actual anointment during the coronation ceremony is not broadcast publicly, plenty of special programming and live footage from the ceremony will be available to watch live on May 6, starting at 5 a.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+. Audiences will also be able to view coverage on CBS News, including the concert featuring Katy Perry and Lionel Richie on Sunday, May 7. Additionally, others can watch the coronation online on these streaming platforms.
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