Stealing the spotlight alongside the action on the court were the Games’ official mascots and performers, who clearly delighted the young royals. As the family left the Hydro following a dramatic semi-final, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis made the acquaintance of Games’ unicorn mascot, Finnie. Charlotte, who appeared cold in her white and black polka dot dress, waved at the mascot and gave her a high five, prompting the character to jump in the air before offering her younger brother a high five as well.
Finnie then playfully mimicked Charlotte’s shivering before Prince William walked over and fist-bumped the mascot. Finnie even blew Catherine a kiss and laughed as they shared a fist bump of their own. Earlier in the day, George, Charlotte, and Louis were equally thrilled when court mascot and TikTok sensation Mop Man made a surprise halftime appearance. The dancer, who pretends to be a cleaner before breaking into a routine, was met with cheers from the crowd as the royal children were seen pointing and smiling at the performance.
The family of five had taken their seats in a packed stadium for the tense semi-final clash between Australia and Jamaica, with the children sandwiched between the Prince and Princess of Wales. Kensington Palace announced that the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, as they are known in Scotland, would be attending the penultimate day of the so-called “friendly games” this morning, but the appearances of Prince George, 13, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Louis, eight, were kept under wraps. It marks the first time the children have been publicly seen in Scotland.
Inside the arena, the Waleses sat amongst the Scottish Thistles, Scotland’s netball team, and posed for selfies with the squad before watching the World’s No 1 team, Australia, take on Birmingham 2022 silver medalists, Jamaica.
After the dramatic semi-final saw Jamaica win by a single point, Scottish swimmer Archie Goodburn, who has brain cancer, accompanied the family as they left the venue. The sunshine briefly made an appearance as they were greeted by a line-up of 20 volunteers and cheered on by the huge crowds gathered outside the gates as word spread that the royals would be heading outside.
While Charlotte and Louis hung out with Finnie, William, Catherine and George stopped to chat with three of the foam-finger-clad volunteers before moving over to speak with two Gold Medallists. Introducing his children to English para-athlete Mark Swan, who won the first gold of the Games in weightlifting, William asked the medal winner to explain how much he could lift in a way the youngsters could understand.
Mark told them: “I can lift a grand piano or 19 corgi dogs.” Charlotte and Louis gaped open-mouthed as William imitated the lifting action with his hands.
Catherine stood beside them chatting away with gymnast Reuben Ward, who won Team Scotland’s first-ever All-Around Gold during his Commonwealth Games debut. She told him: “Really well done, congratulations on the medal.”
The family then headed towards the Spectator Plaza to their waiting cars as crowds swarmed around them. As William helped the children climb into the vehicle, his wife couldn’t resist bending down to chat to a young girl who was clutching a plush toy version of Finnie. As the cars pulled away, the family were seen waving through the windows before driving four miles to the Velodrome to watch the cycling alongside Sir Chris Hoy and Laura Kenny.