King Charles’ incredible nod to three of his royal grandchildren in hugely important speech

King Charles gave a sweet – and surprising – shoutout to Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis in an important speech, and it went down a storm with Prince William.

State banquets are known to be formal affairs, with a number of rules and protocols in place. But the King significantly lightened the mood when he opened the doors of Buckingham Palace in June to welcome Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan. Charles gave a warm and welcoming address in which he reflected on his longstanding friendship with the Emperor. And he made a funny reference to his three grandchildren.

The King recalled shared memories with Naruhito, including trips to the opera and fly fishing together as younger men. “I am only sorry to report that I haven’t had any better luck with more recent attempts at fishing,” he said. “The Pokémon phrase ‘gotta catch ’em all’ may resonate with my grandchildren, but for me it is, perhaps, aspirational,” he added. His joke went down a storm with guests, including proud dad Prince William who joined in the laughter around the table.

King Charles is known to be a doting grandfather. The monarch now spends more time at Windsor Castle, which allows him to see Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, even more often. The Wales family reside in Adelaide Cottage, which is just a 10-minute walk from the castle

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Royal expert Robert Hardman: told PEOPLE : “[King Charles] is a father who loves his son and a doting grandfather. One thing we don’t see, and people weren’t expecting, the King is spending a lot more time at Windsor than anyone expected. He’s often there on Thursdays and Fridays. Obviously, the Waleses are within walking distance of the castle. He’s never really had that sort of proximity to the younger family. Now, there’s more overlap.”

The author also commented on the closeness of the family, stating: “Like all families, they’ll have their moments, but there is clearly a sense of common purpose. They all realise this is a team effort.” Charles is also said to be keen to forge a closer relationship with Prince Harry’s children, Archie and Lilibet, despite the Sussexes’ estrangement from the royals.

The monarch has had very few chances to see the youngsters since they live in America with their parents, who relocated to the US when they left the Royal Family four years ago. Since then, they’ve rarely brought their children back to the UK amid security fears and a bitter feud with the royals. Royal expert Jennie Bond has said the King would now love the chance to get to know his grandchildren.

“Having grandchildren is a powerful tug on the heartstrings. Little people who are part of your bloodline and have had nothing to do with family quarrels and tensions,” she told OK! magazine. “So I can imagine that the King very much wants the chance to get to know Archie and Lilibet and to create some memories for them.”

The expert further said the youngsters might convince Charles and Harry to “forgive, if not forget, the bitter rows of the past,” adding: “I fervently hope that Harry will not follow Meghan’s example of remaining obdurately estranged from her father and most of her family.”