With Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis now enjoying their
summer holidays from Lambrook School, it's perhaps unlikely fans will catch a
glimpse of them again for several more months.
Preferring to keep their children largely out of the royal spotlight for now,
Prince William and Kate Middleton only bring their children to certain
occasions and engagements. Outside of these public appearances, the Prince and
Princess of Wales also share special snaps of their children in honor of their
birthdays each year. But Prince George's birthday on 22nd July could cement a
departure from tradition for Kate.
In previous years Prince George and his siblings have mostly been photographed
by none other than their proud mum the Princess of Wales for their birthday
portraits. These are sometimes released the day before their birthdays and
secondary shots are often shared with thank you messages on the actual day.
However, Prince Louis' birthday photo was taken by Millie Pilkington this
year. She also took the private photographs at Prince William and Kate
Middleton's wedding in 2011 and is trusted by the couple to capture deeply
personal moments. For Prince Louis, his 2023 birthday snap marked the first
time ever Kate hadn't been the one behind the camera for his birthday
pictures.
While Princess Charlotte's photo posted the day before was taken by her mum,
the one shared on her birthday to thank fans for birthday wishes was by
Millie. As Prince George's 10th birthday approaches, it will certainly be
interesting to see whether Millie or perhaps another photographer captures
this milestone moment.
The last time his birthday snap wasn't taken by Kate Middleton was when he
turned 5 and if his mother doesn't take it this year, it could solidify the
departure from their family tradition. It's not known why in 2023 it hasn't
always been Kate taking these birthday pictures as we've come to expect over
the years.
It could potentially be that now she's Princess of Wales, her busy schedule
means she has less time to enjoy photography than she used to or would prefer
to enjoy family time without the pressure of taking a release-worthy photo.