George, Charlotte, Louis at King Charles III’s Coronation

Image Source: Getty / Joe Giddens – PA Images

Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis were the stars of King Charles III’s coronation on Saturday. While the royal ceremony formalized Charles’s role as the head of the Church of England and marked the transfer of his title and powers, his grandchildren ended up stealing the spotlight with their major roles in the ceremony.

Prince William and Kate Middleton’s eldest son, 9-year-old George, served as one of the king’s pages of honor, alongside 13-year-old Lord Oliver Cholmondeley; Nicholas Barclay, also 13; and Ralph Tollemache, 12, who are the king’s friends’ sons, according to The Mirror. Meanwhile, 8-year-old Charlotte and 5-year-old Louis joined their parents to enter Westminster Abbey, Saturday.

Later, the entire family rode in a carriage to Buckingham Palace, where they joined the new king and queen on the balcony to greet well-wishers.

Charles’s coronation marks the first ceremony of its kind in 70 years. The last one took place in 1953 for the late Queen Elizabeth II‘s coronation. Charles was already working as the head of state following his mother’s death on Sept. 8, 2022, so the ceremony isn’t actually a necessary step to take over as monarch in the UK. For instance, Edward VIII previously reigned in the UK without a coronation in 1936 before abdicating months later, when his brother George VI became king.

See more of George, Charlotte, and Louis at their grandfather’s coronation ahead.