Endearing photos of royals with their grandchildren including Prince Charles and his little ones

There's nothing sweeter than seeing grandparents bond with their grandchildren, and the same is true for royal families. Despite the formality of their events and engagements, there are snatched moments when we see royals display genuine affection for the tiniest members of their family. 

The last twelve months have been a very special time for Prince Charles and his grandchildren, which suggests why this article was one of HELLO!'s most viewed this year. Charles welcomed his grandson Prince Louis into the world in April, before finding out that he is to become a grandad once more when Prince Harry's wife Meghan Markle gives birth to their first child next Spring. It was also revealed earlier in the year that the royal children adoringly call Charles 'Grandpa Wales' - how sweet? To mark the special bond he has with the young royals, the Duke of Cornwall released special portraits of his family for his 70th birthday. In the sweet photographs, it's clear that Princes George, Louis and their sister Princess Charlotte love being around their grandpa. 

Click through our gallery to see the sweetest photos of royals and their little ones…

There's nothing sweeter than seeing grandparents bond with their grandchildren, and the same is true for royal families. Despite the formality of their events and engagements, there are snatched moments when we see royals display genuine affection for the tiniest members of their family.

In June at Trooping the Colour, the Duchess of Cornwall's eyes lit up when she spotted her grandchildren among the masses outside Buckingham Palace. Camilla, who was riding in a carriage with the Duchess of Cambridge, looked over and waved at her son Tom Parker Bowles and her grandchildren Freddy and Lola. Tom, his wife Sara and their two children were watching the Queen's birthday parade from the Mall. 

Click through our gallery to see the sweetest photos of royals and their little ones…

Prince Charles became a grandfather for the first time in July 2013, following Prince George's birth. The future King has previously opened up about being a granddad, saying: "It's a different part of your life. The great thing is to encourage them. Show them things to take their interest. My grandmother did that, she was wonderful." He added: "It is very important to create a bond when they are very young."

GALLERY: The Queen's grandchildren and great-grandchildren in pictures

Here, Charles is pictured with his grandchildren Prince George and Princess Charlotte at the 2016 Trooping the Colour ceremony.

GALLERY: Kate's sweetest moments with George and Charlotte

Young Prince William and Prince Harry are the picture of cuteness, seen here in matching outfits during an outing with the Queen.

Zara Tindall and her grandmother are also incredibly close. The pair share a passion for horses; Zara won a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics, presented to her by her mother Princess Anne – the Queen's only daughter.

Harry has previously opened up about his relationship with his grandmother. "I still view her more as the Queen than my grandmother," he said on BBC show, Elizabeth At 90 – A Family Tribute.

"You have this huge amount of respect for your boss and I always view her as my boss – but occasionally as a grandmother. "And the more grandmother bits, the more I can get advice and suck all that information out of her and all that experience that she's had for so long."

This heartwarming throwback photo from 1954 shows the Queen Mother playing with Prince Charles in the Little Welsh House at the Royal Lodge, Windsor.

The pair were joined by Princess Anne in another shot.

When Prince Charles turned three, adorable portraits were released, including this one of the birthday boy, baby Princess Anne and their grandparents the Queen Mother and King George VI.

Princess Caroline of Monaco, a doting grandmother of four, cuddles her eldest grandchild – Alexandre Andrea Stefano Casiraghi, also known as Sacha. The little boy's parents are Andrea Casiraghi and Tatiana Santo Domingo.

Princess Caroline carries Sacha's younger sister, India Casiraghi, on the palace balcony on Monaco National Day.

Prince Henrik of Denmark, who sadly passed away in February, shares an affectionate moment with Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary's eldest daughter, ten-year-old Princess Isabella.

Here, the late Prince is seen cuddling Princess Josephine, while his wife Queen Margrethe plays with Josephine's twin, Prince Vincent.

Prince Henrik dies aged 83

To celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary, Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik posed with the youngest members of their family – Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix, who are Prince Joachim's sons from his first marriage, and Prince Christian and Princess Isabella, who are Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary's eldest children.

Since the photo which was taken in 2007, Margrethe and Henrik have welcomed four more grandchildren.

Grace Kelly's husband Prince Rainier III of Monaco is pictured on granddad duty with an adorable Pierre Casiraghi.

Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands has no shortage of love from her 11 grandchildren. Here she's pictured on a ski break in 2009 with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima's three daughters – Princess Amalia, Princess Alexia and Ariane – and Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien's three children – Countess Eloise, Countess Leonore and Count Claus-Casimir of Orange.

Queen Sofia of Spain is blessed with eight grandchildren. Here, she dotes on Princess Leonor, who is first-in-line to the Spanish throne, at her baptism.

The Spanish royal plays with baby Leonor in another sweet snap.

The expert grandmother is again pictured with Queen Letizia and the newest member of their family.