Princess Kate describing her struggle to stop from hugging babies during the COVID-19 pandemic went viral on social media.

The young royal, now 6, was only 2 when the coronavirus pandemic hit in 2020 and spent some of his formative years in and out of lockdown, albeit in somewhat more luxurious surrounds than most British children.

Needless to say, Kate had some trouble telling Prince Louis he had to rein in his love of hugs to stop the spread of the virus.

The princess told Breakfast in July 2020: “I was just saying, Louis doesn’t understand social distancing so he goes up wanting to cuddle everything and particularly any babies younger than him.”

A clip of the moment went newly viral on where it was liked 25,000 times and viewed 197,000 times having been posted with the message: “I loveee prince louis & princess catherine’s bond.”

Fans have long appreciated Prince Louis’ unfiltered behavior including his joyful dancing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during major royal events from the Platinum Jubilee to King Charles’ Coronation and Trooping the Colour.

Prince Louis spent much of the pandemic with Kate, , and at Anmer Hall, in Norfolk, their country retreat in the east of England.

That meant he had a little more space to run around and let off steam than most children his age.

Kate’s comments were aimed at promoting the BBC online resource Tiny Happy People, which includes films, tips and quizzes designed to encourage the development of language in preschool children.

The princess described how she had wanted more help during that period of her children’s lives: “In the first few months, there’s a huge amount of support from midwives and health visitors and things, but from then onwards there’s a massive gap before they start school.”

And she let slip that her children all have huge appetites: “My children have bottomless pits. I feel like a constant feeding machine.”

One fan replied, “Louis is literally the cutesttt!” while another suggested he would get on well with and ‘s children: “If Louis met Archie or Lilibet, based on what Kate said, Louis would be cuddling Archie and Lilibet non stop.”

All Kate and William’s children are now at school, meaning the pressure is off during the daytime but new pressures lurk around the corner as they enter the age when children take up social media.

For George, 11, Charlotte, 9, and Louis, that may mean that for the first time, they get access to comments ordinary people make about them online.

It will therefore represent a partial loss of control for William and Kate over how the public and media impact their children’s lives.

Williams Brown is chief royal correspondent for Regalrumination.com, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly , at and read his stories on Regalrumination.com’s .

Do you have a question about Charles and Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email . We’d love to hear from you.