Prince William & His Kids Look Happy & Relaxed in a New Royal Family Photo That Might Be Our Favorite Ever

Prince William is celebrating his 42nd birthday today, and his family is acknowledging the special day by sharing a new photo of the Prince of Wales with his kids. The royal family posted a photo on Instagram of William with his kids Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, and it’s absolutely adorable.

The photo, which was supposedly taken by Kate Middleton, is of Prince William and his kids holding hands and jumping at the beach. They are all in the air, and it’s such a fun and joyous shot. Prince William has a goofy expression, smiling straight at the camera. Prince George and Princess Charlotte look so carefree, grinning wide and raising their free arm in the air. And Prince Louis — who normally has the silliest face of all — looks happy yet surprisingly cautious. (And we don’t blame him. It does look like they got pretty high into the air!)

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“Happy birthday Papa, we all love you so much! Cx” said the caption of the photo that was posted to the family’s official Instagram account. “📸 The Princess of Wales, 2024”

Followers (us included!) are head over heels for this “brilliant” and “fabulous” photo, leaving the sweetest comments. “Possibly the best picture I’ve seen of the family.” “What a capture !! 📸✨💙” “What a fun photo!! Love it ❤️” Other followers said they could feel the family’s love and joy in this photo and noted that they had never seen the four look so happy and relaxed.

Which makes sense! Usually we see them dressed to the nines at royal events — giving tight smiles and small waves to the public. But here they’re dressed in shorts and cotton shirts, having a blast with their dad. It’s refreshing to see them look a little more “normal” and candid!

Earlier this week, the royal family shared a photo from [presumably] the same beach to honor Father’s Day. This photo was taken from behind and the proud dad and his three kids had their arms around each other as they looked at the ocean. “We love you, Papa. Happy Father’s Day 💕 G, C & L,” the post said. “📸 The Princess of Wales, 2024”

Eagle-eyed fans noticed that all four of them were wearing blue, and that might not have been a coincidence. In fashion expert Rosie Harte’s book The Royal Wardrobe, she wrote about a possible theory behind the family’s clothing.

“Blue is a more palatable alternative to the colors traditionally associated with royalty, being far less aggressive than red and significantly more conservative than purple,” she said. “It has associations with peace and also modernity, making it a perfect representation of the Waleses’ quest to appeal to both traditional and progressive values in society.”

In the photo shared today for Prince William’s birthday, there’s a good deal of blue, but he’s also wearing pink shorts and Princess Charlotte has on a black and white striped shirt. All in all, the photo isn’t quite as blue as the Father’s Day one. Maybe the didn’t want today to be associated with another thing blue can represent: sadness. This is definitely a happy day for the Wales family, and we’re wishing Prince William the happiest of birthdays.

All the Best Photos of Prince Louis Being His Adorably Sassy Self at Past Trooping the Colour Parades.

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