A photographer who has been capturing pictures of the Prince and Princess of Wales for the past couple of years has lifted the lid on what went on behind-the-scenes of a sweet family snap of Prince William and his children. Josh Shinner captured some fun shots of the future King playing with his children in a garden in Norfolk earlier this year.
One frame showed William playfully wrestling in the grass with Prince George, 12, and Prince Louis, seven, as daughter Princess Charlotte, ten, laughed. The image was originally released in June by Kensington Palace to mark Father's Day, with the children writing in a joint social media post: "Happy Father's Day, Papa (before and after!) We love you!"
Speaking about the sweet moment he captured on camera, Josh reposted the photograph on Instagram on Wednesday, saying: "It's been a real privilege to photograph the @princeandprincessofwales over the last couple of years, and this might be my favourite shot to date. Just a really joyful and spontaneous moment that I'm so happy to have been there for."
Josh has been taking portraits of the Waleses since 2023 for their Christmas card photo, which showed the family-of-five all dressed in white shirts and jeans, posing in a studio. Since then, he has also taken the official photographs of Prince George and Prince Louis to mark their respective 12th and seventh birthdays in July and April earlier this year.
A gap-toothed Louis was captured smiling as he posed on a tree trunk in a bluebell wood in Norfolk. Meanwhile, from the same portrait session, George was pictured wearing a checked shirt and a fleecy gilet as he leaned on a rustic wooden gate.
The royal children's personalities
As the Prince and Princess of Wales visited a branch of the Women's Institute (WI) in Sunningdale, Ascot earlier this week, William shared some insights into his three children's personalities. The Prince was heard telling one member of the group of Louis: "He's a character, but he's a very good boy." The Prince added that Louis "likes to run his sister [Charlotte] around".
© Kensington PalaceWhen it was pointed out that George appeared to be the sensible one, William said that there was "five years between them" and joked that while George knew how to behave in public, "behind closed doors it's a completely different ball game".
© GettyDuring a visit to youth charity, Spiral Skills, in south London on Tuesday, William revealed he is making sure his children grow up learning to play an instrument as he believes music is "crucial". When a young student offered him the chance to take his seat behind a drum kit, William replied: "I'm definitely not a drummer – if my youngest [Louis] was here he'd have a go, he's been practising at the moment. But I'd love to hear you do it – but thank you for asking."
Meanwhile, Princess Charlotte is following in the footsteps of her mother and learning the piano, while Prince George is believed to play the guitar, but William confessed his musical aspirations ended because he could not read music.
