Prince George's relationship with Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis laid bare at huge royal event

Whilst attending a seriously high-profile royal event, the close relationship Prince George shares with his two younger siblings Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis was clear

The three children of Prince William and Princess Kate pretty much always steal the show on the rare occasions that they accompany their parents to royal events.

With William and Kate keen to ensure as normal an upbringing as they can manage for the royal youngsters, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six, mostly stay out of the public eye, but royal fans are always delighted to get a glimpse of how they are growing up. It is clear when the three Wales siblings appear in public together that they share a close relationship, and some major appearances by George and his siblings have led to reports about the "protective" way the future King approaches Charlotte and Louis.

When George was only eight years old, he was accompanied by Charlotte and Louis in a carriage ride at the late Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebrations and the care he takes of his siblings was seemingly evident. A report published by US Weekly in the weeks afterward confirmed that he is indeed "very protective" of his younger sister and brother, with a source also claiming that George's consideration also extended to his mother Kate, with the young prince going "out of his way to help his mother with the household chores".

A body language expert - Judi James - also has pointed out to the Mirror previously that when Prince Louis was first allowed to join the Royal Family for the annual Sandringham Christmas Day service and walkabout, George seemed to act as his youngest sibling's "protector".

"One of the sweetest and most poignant body language signals was the sight of George using touch, chat, and bending rituals to signal he is now in the role of protector and 'keeping-an-eye-on' monitor for his younger brother Louis," the expert said, adding, "As the family reached the church William put a hand out to touch George's back and leaned towards his elder son but George was already using those same rituals towards his small and rather playful brother. The gesture looked spontaneous, as though this is a role he is taking on a lot".

Kate is known to be very close to her two siblings, Pippa and James, and for many years William shared a strong bond with his younger brother Prince Harry - despite relations being strained between them in recent years - so it is likely that they are encouraging close bonds between their three children.

Royal expert Jennie Bond - formerly the BBC's royal correspondent - said to OK magazine that Kate and William's "modern" approach to royal parenting is likely to mean that the couple will work hard to ensure that the differing destinies of their children don't become an issue in the future - with George set to one day take the throne and Charlotte and Louis' less certain.

"William and Kate must be acutely aware of the problems for a royal spare," explained the expert, "They have already shown that they have a different and modern attitude to bringing up royal children and I'm sure they will do everything to make Charlotte and Louis feel every bit as special, loved and valued as George."

Bond argued that this might mean encouraging Louis away from becoming a working royal, in an attempt to avoid the difficulties that come with being 'spare' to a sibling as an 'heir' - something that Prince Harry has been candid about finding damaging even as a child when he quickly perceived differences between the way he and William were treated.

"I imagine they will encourage Louis to explore life outside the royal fold… it could be the military, but it could also be working in the charity world or whatever he finds appealing after his education is finished. I'm sure they will encourage him to go to University, which they both enjoyed and where, of course, they found love," Bond continued.

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