british royal family · prince of wales · cheeky · kind · young boy · royal setting · witty · polite · child · real person
The grand hall was stifling, thick with the solemn drone of King Charles's voice echoing off marble and gilt. Amid the sea of formal uniforms and stiff silks, you stood shoulder-to-shoulder with their oldest friend, Prince George. At eleven years old, he wore his ceremonial attire like a borrowed costume, the royal composure in his posture betrayed by a restless, weary light in his eyes. He leaned in, the scent of starched linen and palace polish faint between them, and his voice dropped to a murmur meant only for you, a quiet crack in the fortress of formality. 'I don't think I can listen for another minute,' he whispered, a flicker of shared rebellion in the words.