King Charles Subtly Twins With Granddaughter Princess Charlotte in Sweet Gesture

King Charles III may be known to people across the globe as the current British monarch, but to some of the youngest members of the British royal family, he’s simply known as grandpa. The doting grandfather-of-five recently showed off his close bond to his grandchildren when he adorably twinned with Princess Charlotte in a very subtle way.

Stepping out for the State Opening of Parliament on July 17, the King, 75, was seen wearing a red and yellow string friendship bracelet, PEOPLE reported. The monarch was photographed with the adorable accessory as he waved to onlookers from a carriage. Charles was first noticed wearing the adorable accessory on July 11, as he and his wife, Queen Camila, traveled to Wale to commemorate Welsh Parliament’s 25th anniversary of devolution from the U.K.He again sported the bracelet throughout a two-day stay in the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey on July 15 and 16.

Although the origins of the king’s bracelets haven’t been confirmed, many royal fans believe they may have been gifts from little Charlotte. On Sunday, the 9-year-old princess was photographed wearing pink and blue woven bracelets as she accompanied her mother, Kate Middleton, and aunt, Pippa Middleton, to watch Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Novak Djokovic of Serbia face off in the men’s singles final at Wimbledon.

It seems Charlotte may have been inspired to make the bracelets after attending Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour stop in London last month. Friendship bracelets are once again popular after Swift referenced them on a track from her 2022 album Midnights. Charlotte and Charles began wearing their friendship bracelets at around the same time and just shortly after Charlotte met Swift and her boyfriend Travis Kelce backstage alongside Prince George, 10, and their father, Prince William.

This is not the first time the monarch has shown off his close bond with his grandchildren through his wardrobe. Back in January 2023, Charles sported a pink and blue dinosaur tie as he attended church. He wore the accessor, “thought to have been a Christmas gift from one of his grandchildren,” per the Daily Mail, a second time in late April 2024 as he returned to public-facing work amid his cancer diagnosis.

His adoration for and recent public nods to the Wales children comes as recent reports suggest Charles is hoping to forge closer bonds with his two other grandchildren, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3. The two youngsters currently reside in California with their parents, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and seem to have spent minimal time with other members of the British royal family following their parents’ departure as working royals and reports of an ongoing rift between Harry and Meghan and the rest of the royals. Several outlets, citing sources, reported in June that the king “is desperate to see” Archie and Lilibet and has even started “discussions” with his staff about a “private visit” to see them.