Royals The Real Reason Princess Charlotte Adorably Stuck Out Her Tongue at Will and Kate's Sailing Event The cheeky move wasn't directed at the crowd — or the cameras! By Erin Hill Erin Hill Erin Hill is the Senior Editor, Royals at PEOPLE. She has reported on Royals for the brand since 2015. Erin previously worked at PARADE Magazine and The Knot. People Editorial Guidelines Published on August 21, 2019 11:35AM EDT Kids will be kids — even little princesses! Princess Charlotte stole the show at her parents’ charity sailing race earlier this month when she playfully stuck out her tongue at the crowd below her. But it turns out the cheeky move wasn’t directed at the crowd or the cameras — it was for grandpa Mike Middleton! Kate Middleton pointed out a group of the family’s friends, which reportedly included her dad, to her 4-year-old daughter from the window. But instead of waving to her grandpa, Charlotte stuck out her tongue. Kate’s reaction was priceless as she looked out at her dad and gave a hearty laugh before leading Charlotte away from the window. Kate’s parents, Mike and Carole Middleton, were on hand during the August 8 sailing race, which saw Kate and Prince William compete against each other. Charlotte and big brother Prince George watched the race from a nearby boat under the watchful eye of their grandparents. Princess Charlotte and Kate Middleton. ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty This isn’t the first time that Princess Charlotte has showed off her tongue-waging. At uncle Prince Harry‘s May 2018 wedding to Meghan Markle, the royal pulled the move as her car arrived at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. (Of course, her royal uncle would probably approve — as a youngster himself, Harry made a silly face out the car window after a visit to the hospital when his cousin, Princess Beatrice, was born in 1988. Mike Middleton (left) and Carole Middleton (right) with Prince George. Karwai Tang/WireImage Kate is always ready at a moment’s notice when it comes to keeping her children on their best royal behavior. After five jam-packed days of their royal tour in Poland and Germany in 2017, Princess Charlotte got a little fussy before heading back to London on a private plane. Inside Prince George and Princess Charlotte’s Royal Bond: ‘They Learn to Lean on Each Other’ But mom Kate put her expert squat and chat skills to the test, immediately calming her royal toddler down and putting a smile on her face. William then helped her onto the plane. Andrew Milligan - WPA/Getty Images; Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix/Getty Images Kate also swooped in to comfort Princess Charlotte after the little royal took a spill on the Buckingham Palace balcony during the 2018 Trooping the Colour flypast. Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! James Whatling/MEGA After looking in her Royal Air Force booklet and excitedly peeking over the balcony in anticipation of the next plane to pass by, Charlotte lost her balance and started to fall backward. She reached for stability, but luckily Kate was there to steady the little princess. Kate bent down to chat with a visibly-shaken Charlotte, and then picked up her daughter, quickly defusing the moment.