Kate Middleton has shared a third photograph of her husband playing in the garden with their three children to mark Father’s Day and Prince William’s 38th birthday.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge last night released two photos, both taken by Kate at their Norfolk home of Anmer Hall, that capture the playful, loving bond between the prince and his children, Prince George, six, Princess Charlotte, five, and Prince Louis, two.
Today the couple shared a third photo from the series as a way to thank well-wishers for their kind messages on the Duke’s birthday.
The photo is the most candid of the lot and shows the Duke laughing as he cuddles all three of his children on the ground. Charlotte has her arms wrapped around her father’s neck while Prince George laughs on the floor by his side.
Prince Louis, clearly delighted with the horse play, jumps on top of his big brother, with his head butting into his father’s chest.
Kate Middleton has shared a third photograph of her husband playing in the garden with their three children to mark Father’s Day and Prince William’s 38th birthday. The photo is the most candid of the lot and shows the Duke laughing as he cuddles all three of his children
The photograph was shared on Instagram this morning to thank royal fans for their well-wishes
It was shared on Instagram with the caption: ‘Thank you everyone for your very kind wishes on The Duke of Cambridge’s birthday today!’
One of the images shared last night shows William cuddling Louis on his knee while Charlotte and George lark around them.
The swing they are sitting on has significance for Father’s Day, too, as it was a wedding present from Prince Charles.
The happy normality, away from the trappings and travails of Royalty, is reflected in the high-street clothes they wear.
Charlotte sports a pair of £10 John Lewis dungarees with a nautical striped T-shirt and rose-pink £24.99 Igor canvas shoes, also from John Lewis. Blond Louis wears a £4.99 Gap polo bodysuit and blue shorts, while George sports a £5.99 khaki H&M T-shirt.
Kate, a keen and talented photographer, took these delightful pictures on Friday in the grounds of their Norfolk country home, Anmer Hall, and they demonstrate the fruits of William’s determination that his children would have what he never did: a secure, happy and rural childhood with both parents hands-on and putting their offspring first.
One of the images shared last night shows William cuddling Louis on his knee while Charlotte and George lark around them. The swing they are sitting on has significance for Father’s Day, too, as it was a wedding present from Prince Charles
Kate, 38, enjoyed an idyllic Berkshire countryside upbringing, growing up in the close-knit Middleton family with supportive parents and sporty younger siblings Pippa and James, who all enjoyed spending time together.
William’s experience was famously fractured – a workaholic father he rarely saw, corrosive fighting between his warring parents and ultimately the loss of his mother Diana when he was 15.
So it is little surprise that the Duke has put the happiness of his children above everything else: the job of being a parent, his No 1 priority.
Royal engagements, even last year’s tour to Pakistan, are arranged around the school run and the children’s bedtimes. William makes every effort to pick up George and Charlotte from school if Kate drops them off.
And although the Duke and Duchess got back to public work last week to show Britain was open for business again – Kate visiting a local garden centre and William a bakery – the couple have relished the upsides of lockdown. No foreign tours, no away days, no business of state has meant the Cambridges have been able to spend a huge amount of time with their young brood.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge last night released two photos, both taken by Kate, that capture the playful, loving bond between the prince and his children, Prince George, six, Princess Charlotte, five, and Prince Louis, two. Pictured, one of the images shared
Despite the challenges of home-schooling, William and Kate have decided not to send Charlotte back to classes at Thomas’s Battersea in South London quite yet. Her reception year went back a couple of weeks ago, but they decided to stay in Norfolk and keep all three children together rather than return to London. For the truth is that they are having too much fun at home.
William has managed to keep up his work through numerous Zoom calls to charities, volunteers and carers across the UK, and both husband and wife have jollied the nation’s mood through dark and difficult times.
Once the laptop is closed, William has enjoyed helping George with his homework, painting with Louis and chasing Charlotte round the garden – the formative childhood experiences he never had. The outdoor life is all. Even in the rain.
Pitching tents, camping outside, growing tomatoes and peas from seeds and watching their sunflowers grow has been the order of the day. Lazy afternoons can be spent at sea – in a small boat in the calm waters off the Norfolk coast, or enjoying the seaside at a beach hut on a local stretch of golden sand where they can run with Lupo the dog.
At other times, the Anmer Hall kitchen has been an ‘explosion of flour and chocolate’ while the family bake cakes and biscuits.
Here William can be the father he has always wanted to be. Is it any wonder they want to stay?