What a weekend, indeed, for royal followers—and all good news, for a change. Friday saw an announcement from the Princess of Wales—alongside a stunning new photo, taken earlier in the week at Windsor—that she would be returning to royal duty, albeit briefly, for Trooping the Colour the next day. And that she did, to tremendous success, followed by a Wales family first the next day, Sunday, that shouldn’t be ignored.
In their social media posts, when a message is directly from the Prince or Princess of Wales, it is signed off with a “W” (signifying William), a “C” (signifying Catherine), or sometimes “W & C” (signifying both of them). But, for Father’s Day yesterday, the Prince and Princess of Wales shared a photo of William and his three kids, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, in a photo taken by Kate herself—and with a message written from “G, C & L”—the first time this has ever happened.
In the photo, the foursome’s arms are entwined “as they gaze out at the Norfolk landscape they love so much,” Rebecca English of The Daily Mail wrote. The message to William—who English referred to as Kate’s “rock”—read “We love you, Papa. Happy Father’s Day. G, C & L.” There were also heart emojis included for good measure.
But, English wrote, don’t get used to social media messages from the Wales trio: “While many will be excited to see the young royals dip their toes into social media, sources are at pains to stress that this should not be seen as anything more than a delightful one-off,” she wrote, adding that “The children—who also looked ecstatic to be out with their parents in public at Trooping the Colour at the weekend—simply wanted to show their love for William on a special day after what has undoubtedly been a difficult time for them all.”
William, amid the cancer diagnosis of their mother earlier this year (and their grandfather King Charles, whom they affectionately call “Grandpa Wales”), “has dropped off his children at school each day, as well as cheered them on from the sidelines, in an attempt to keep their young lives as normal as possible amid such deep personal turmoil,” English wrote. “As anyone who has nursed a loved one through cancer knows, the tumble of emotions it brings can be hard to bear. William will no doubt have found inner reserves of strength and resilience that even he did not know he had.” (The Prince of Wales, by the way, turns 42 later this week, on Friday. He will be in Germany the day prior to watch his beloved England football team square off against Denmark in Euro 2024.)
A one-off though it may (unfortunately) be, it is significant nonetheless: “The message does, however, mark the first time the children have been given such a platform to make a public statement like this to a global audience, and is a sign of their growing maturity as young royals,” English wrote. The accompanying photo was taken by Kate last month on the beach near Anmer Hall, their country home in Norfolk, during the half-term holidays, and the “wide-open spaces, countryside, and beaches of Norfolk have always been balm for the family’s soul,” English wrote, adding that William and Kate’s “friends have long told me that they would move there permanently if they could.”
The Father’s Day photo was but one powerful photo from the busy weekend. Another showed what Hello called an “affectionate exchange” between William and Kate on the Buckingham Palace balcony, one that shows their “deep and romantic bond,” the outlet writes.
“Kate and William treated the fans to one look of love that came after William had amused the children and Kate had made Charles laugh,” body language expert Judi James told The Mirror. “It was a small but hugely telling glance that was exchanged between them, with William’s puckered smile showing suppressed emotions of love, affection, and gratitude, while Kate flashed back that dimpled and very congruent smile of delight to let her husband know all was well and the day had been a success.”
Of the Princess of Wales, body language expert Noor Hibbert told Hello “As they stood there united as a family, Kate demonstrated her incredible strength and ability to show up, with zero evidence of self-pity,” she said. “As a proud member of the royal family, she showcases with finesse and stoicism, which is what being a royal is all about.”
