The Wales Kids Hit a Big Instagram Milestone With Prince William’s Father’s Day Photo
Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis just took a step in a new direction (for them) on Instagram. Prince William and Kate Middleton’s children appeared in a Father’s Day photo on social media. Family photos are nothing new for the royals. In fact, they’ve become something of a tradition. What is new, however, is that George, Charlotte, and Louis were behind the caption. Ahead, what the Prince of Wales’ kids said in their first-ever social media message.
William’s 2024 Father’s Day photo with his and Kate Middleton’s 3 kids
The Prince and Princess of Wales took to social media on June 16, 2024, to mark Father’s Day. They shared a photo of William with George, 10, Charlotte, 9, and Louis, 6.
In the Instagram photo, the foursome is standing on the beach with their arms wrapped around each other. Unlike previous family photos, William, George, Charlotte, and Louis are facing away from the camera.
Kate, who made her first public appearance of the year at Trooping the Colour alongside William, George, Charlotte, and Louis, took the snapshot a month earlier in Norfolk, England.
The Wales family has a home there—Anmer Hall—where they’ve reportedly spent lots of time since Kate’s March 2024 cancer diagnosis announcement. (The family of five was reportedly seen leaving for Norfolk shortly after Kate shared the health update.)
George, Charlotte, and Louis shared their first Instagram message with the Father’s Day photo
Now for the Wales kids’ big first. George, Charlotte, and Louis shared a message in the caption of the Father’s Day post, which Kensington Palace confirmed as the first time a message from the young royal trio has been posted to William and Kate’s social media accounts (via Today).
It read: “We love you, Papa. Happy Father’s Day,” with a pink double hearts emoji followed by “G, C, & L” for the children’s initials.
Those who follow William and Kate on social media will likely see the couple sign off similarly. For example, with his first initial, William signed off a throwback photo of him and King Charles III, also posted to Instagram for Father’s Day. “Happy Father’s Day, Pa,” the caption read, with a “W” for William.
The image starkly contrasts William’s Father’s Day tribute to King Charles
According to body language expert Judi James, William’s Father’s Day photo and the one selected to mark the occasion for his dad, also seen on Instagram, were very different.
“The contrast between William’s choice of pose to illustrate his own view of fatherhood and the pose he chose to celebrate his own father’s role in his life could hardly be stronger,” she told the Mirror.
“Photographed from the back view, they avoid actually communicating with the camera,” she said of William, George, Charlotte, and Louis. “It suggests this is an intimate and loving moment caught rather than a ‘show pony’ one posed to please the viewer.”
Whereas, the throwback photo of a young William kicking around a soccer ball with the king suggested something else. It said to James “that although he appreciates the kind of upbringing he had, he is determined to forge something different for his own children.”
She added that William seems to desire a more “modern” upbringing for George, Charlotte, and Louis. “William continually shows how he uses lessons from his past to forge the kind of family unit he sees as more modern and more ideal.”
“His understanding of duty and loyalty seems strong,” she went on. “But he is clearly also determined to create a more casual and playful life for his own children than he or his father were allowed to enjoy.”
Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.
