Kensington Palace made many a royal fan’s Christmas merrier when they shared a brand new photo of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – and to say it’s adorable is an understatement.
Sharing the photo of their three children to their official social media accounts, William and Kate posted a heartfelt message to fans, writing “Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas, from our family to yours! W & C.”
The photo catches the royal siblings in the sweetest of poses together, Princess Charlotte takes centre stage as she wraps both of her arms around her two brothers.
Charlotte is grinning widely and looking directly at the camera, in what comes across as both a grown-up and confident pose, while her hair is loose and relaxed to her shoulders.
It’s a much more laid-back look for the young Princess which matches the modern feel of the photos.
George, whose tallness continues to surprise royal fans, towers over his siblings and is giving a hearty smile to the camera.
Sticking with his nature, Louis, of course, seems to have struggled to have stayed still long enough to match his siblings’ poses – as he’s staring off into the distance.
Fans have absolutely loved the surprise photo.
One fan commented, “Charlotte looks so mature and confident. Definitely taking after her mum!”
While another pointed out how each child seems to favour different sides of the family, writing “A Middleton, A Windsor and A Spencer (left to right). Beautiful children.”
Charlotte being dubbed “A Windsor” is nothing new – her likeness to a young Queen Elizabeth II has been called out before, and there’s another royal to whom she’s almost the double.
One added, “What a beautiful picture and surprise! Merry Christmas to the entire Wales family.”
The style of the photo is the same as their recently shared Christmas card for 2023, taken in a minimalist black and white, with the three kids wearing white shirts and jeans (though Louis, as is customary for younger children, is in shorts).
Both of the photographs were taken by Josh Shinner, an editorial photographer who has taken pictures for the likes of Harper’s Bazaar.
And it was actually Josh who revealed the royal children’s secret knack for crafting a memorable joke, when he reshared the Prince and Princess of Wales’s Instagram post onto his own Stories, and added his own insight on spending the day with the family.
Underneath a reshare of the photo, Josh wrote, “Hope you all have a brilliant day and that your cracker jokes are as good as the knock-knock ones I picked up from these three…”
Many of the Royal Family are known for their sense of humour, often hidden away from their more serious public personas.
George, Charlotte and Louis’s mum, Kate Middleton’s “naughty” sense of humour was said to have helped her romance with Prince William blossom during their university days.
The late Queen Elizabeth II was also notorious for a great sense of humour – and Princess Anne proved she was a chip off the old block with some of her recent witty comments.
So it’s reassuring to hear this tradition of being sensible on the outside and cracking a joke or two behind closed doors is carrying on in the younger generations.