21 June 2024 , 10:09
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The Princess of Wales has shared a brand new family photo to mark Prince William's birthday - and her personal photographer has delivered her honest verdict on the image.
The lighthearted snap, taken by keen photographer Kate in Norfolk last month, shows William clutching the hands of his children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis while leaping over sand dunes as jump appearing to shout with joy with delighted faces.
It came with a highly personal message from Kate to her husband as he turns 42, with her saying: "Happy birthday Papa, we all love you so much! Cx". The sweet sign-off shows it was written by the princess.
A new family photo of Prince William with his children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis (PA)When the photo was posted on social media, fans were quick to post their reaction to the image - and one of those that reacted to the snap was Millie Pilkington, ho has worked closely with the Wales family in the past and took William and Kate's personal wedding pictures.
And in her assesment, she dubbed it "one of the best family portraits ever. She added: "Captures all the joy, love and laughter. Utterly brilliant."
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Her opinion was echoed by many others on Instagram, where one fan wrote: "Possibly the best picture I've seen of the family." Another said: "This has to be one of our favourite photos!" While another simply wrote: "BEST ROYAL PHOTO EVER".
Millie Pilkington, the private photographer of Prince William and Kate (Getty Images)
A never-before-seen picture of William and Kate on their wedding day 13 years ago taken by Millie (@KensingtonRoyal)Today's photo came the morning after William, president of the FA, was pictured alongside Denmark's King Frederick as England drew 1-1 with Denmark in Frankfurt, Germany, in their second match of Euro 2024.
William has faced a challenging 12 months with both Kate and his father the King diagnosed with cancer. Kate returned briefly to the public limelight at Trooping the Colour last weekend with William and their three children.
But in a personal message, the princess revealed that although she is making good progress, she is "not out of the woods yet". Kate told how she has good days and bad days and is facing a few more months of chemotherapy. She first announced she was undergoing cancer treatment in a video message in March.
Prince William Arthur Philip Louis of Wales was born at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, at 9.03pm on June 21, 1982. He weighed 7lb 1.5oz and was the first-born son of the King and Diana, Princess of Wales.
Since his last birthday, William has launched Homewards, his five-year drive to eradicate homelessness in six locations around the UK. His other key focuses include raising mental health awareness, and the Earthshot Prize, his £50 million environmental competition to find solutions to help the planet.