Last year, Kensington Palace chose a pretty sedate photo to release for Father’s Day. So sedate, I didn’t even remember it – it was a photo of William and the three Wales kids with their backs to the camera, and the photo was likely taken on the beach in Norfolk. That photo was quickly overshadowed by the pic released for William’s 42nd birthday just a few weeks later. The pic was obviously and badly Photoshopped, with William and the kids suspended mid-air, mid-jump from nowhere. Anyway, a reminder that even after they were caught red-handed for manipulating photos, they did the exact same thing just months later.
All of which to say, they’re no longer allowing the Princess of Wales to “photograph” her husband or children for big occasions. Sunday was Father’s Day in the US and UK, and KP released photos taken by Josh Shinner. Shinner recently accompanied William and Kate to Iona and Mull for their anniversary too, and Shinner was tasked with taking some vaguely “romantic” photos of William and Kate. He also took that bizarre portrait of Kate, remember? Whenever people compliment William and Kate’s strategy with photo-releases, I’m always bewildered – this feels like the biggest waste of everyone’s time and money.
Anyway, the photos are what they are, and I’m sure the PR will say that William looks like a loving father. I feel like they could have chosen pics where William didn’t look so uncomfortable? Even the pic where his kids are dog-piling on top of him, his arms aren’t around his kids and he doesn’t even seem particularly engaged with them. Kensington Palace also released a much better photo of the whole family on Saturday, for Trooping the Colour – if anything, that’s the better pic of William and the kids (although Kate looks terrible).
Happy Father’s Day, Papa (before and after!) We love you! G, C & L 💖
📸 Josh Shinner pic.twitter.com/elSVlgcyWQ
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) June 15, 2025
Photos courtesy of Josh Shinner/Kensington Palace and KP’s social media.
His smile isn’t genuine and it looks forced on both photos…I can’t say whether he is an involved father or not from staged photos. I hope for the sake of his children that he is…
They’re just accessories to him. Can’t see the affection. Maybe it’s his ugly smile and teeth that’s turning me off.
I think he’s likely engaged when he feels like it, for the fun part of parenting. I don’t believe he’s engaged with the hard part of parenting or anything like a full-time schedule. It’s easy to have some connection to your kids when paid staff do all the heavy lifting. He can just be present for the enjoyable parts and when he wants to use the kids for PR.
In both photos what’s with the rictus grin instead of a true smile on William? Does he hate his life so much he can’t fake it for five seconds?
The kids know how to pose already at their ages, well done. They’re cute. I hope they have lots of love and support for what’s to come…
Is that supposed to be Kate’s arm but no face, in photo of the dog pile?
The top arm is confusing but I think it’s George’s.
I didn’t notice it at first, only after you mentioned it…you are probably right…more pictures are coming from this particular photoshop…probably, their Christmas card,as well?
If you enlarge the photo it’s clearly Georges arm. I thought it was Kate at first until I zoomed in on my MacBook Air.
Yep, that arm confused me too. It’s a bit weird. They should have chosen a different shot.
It’s so disconcerting that his “smile” (grimace?) really doesn’t meet his eyes in the posed photo. The smile when they’re all in their ridiculous costumes looks slightly more genuine at least. The “dog pile” photo also looks completely posed to me. What a weird and sad life. Hope those kids are doing okay.
It’s not the first time that they’ve posted a “dog pile” photo of W and the kids.
Nothing from one of their half dozen vacations? Oh that’s right. We aren’t supposed to know about those.
The photos don’t even need to be from one of their half dozen vacations. K’s supposedly a keen photographer and a childhood development advocate so I would have thought she’d have a treasure trove of candid photos of her family. Instead H&M, who’ve never touted themselves as keen amateur photographers, seem to have a vault of candid family photos.
Hard to take candid family photos when the family doesn’t live in the same house all the time
I think William loves his kids and they love him. On the other hand, there is no love affair between him and the camera.
That’s what I think.
That’s what I think too. When you see him interact with the kids in real time they all seem comfortable. Maybe not affectionate but definitely as ease around him. William has never been comfortable with camera’s. I think William loves his kids and is more involved than Charles was ever with him or Harry, but I don’t think he is a very hands on dad. More like he loves from a distance and does not concern himself with the minutia of their daily lives.
So in some ways he has done better than his dad, for that I am happy for the kids. Still he treats his wife awfully ( they both are horrible) and that will have lasting effects.
@ecsmom “Still he treats his wife awfully”…..and she puts up with it and has done so for years. She has freewill but values getting a big, bejewelled hat above all else.
Agreed. I think William hates the press and he hates the idea that he is required to pose for these photos. It’s so very difficult to gauge the connections between any of these people because we hardly ever see them in a natural moment. Harry’s father’s day montage was sweeter because they weren’t necessarily posing for the camera/public.
I believe this. The kids seem comfortable with him when they’re on camera (and much more relaxed around him than around Cathy). But Billy himself doesn’t like getting photos taken, something that he can’t hide even when taking photos with his kids.
Bingo. There is a part in Harry’s book Spare where he talks about having a trauma response to clicking cameras after being stalked by paparazzi his whole life; probably William has the same.
Louis’ wearing the same outfit he wore in his birthday photos so these are were taken on the same day.
They really get mileage out of their photoshoots don’t they?
Yeah, I noticed that just from his missing two front teeth and their choice of clothes for this time of year. There isn’t anything wrong with it, but it makes you wonder why there aren’t a large selection of family photos of them naturally interacting with each other without a paid photographer or videographer to capture all of these staged photos? It makes me feel more concerned for the children that they are expected to perform for cameras so early in life and this will continue to be the case for them. It just puts more weight on their tiny little shoulders to help present a happy family instead of just being kids.
I feel sorry for Charlotte. She looks like the glue holding them together. She’s very protective of Louis.
It’ll be so interesting to see the Wales children when they come of age – especially if they start talking about their upbringing. William and Kate have the strangest vibe.
They’re a strange couple. Not surprising when he felt forced to marry his stalker.
William’s smile in photos always look so forced & almost like a grimace. It reminds me of episode of friends when chandler & Monica got engaged & chandler keeps ruining the engagement photo shoot with his awkward smiles.
Bar William’s smile/grimace nice photos. I do get sense William is a decent dad- the kids kind of seem more relaxed & comfortable with him then Kate. Charlotte looks really happy in these photos. The happiest I’ve ever seen George was in that photo with Taylor Swift.
I think it was telling when they did the Christmas walk and the three kids were with William up ahead and waiting for Kate who was still back with the crowd. Not one of them stayed back with her.
Yeah, nice photos. Ho hum. Meanwhile, I watched Meghan’s video montage of Harry for his Father’s Day several times already. So sweet! And so natural!
How is it possible to look uncomfortable around your children?
It’s possible because some people hate getting their photo taken. He doesn’t look uncomfortable around them when they’re on video and vice versa. He always looks stiff and out of it in photos, and I think that discomfort is so ingrained in him he can’t turn it off ever.
This isn’t to excuse the FK for any of his horrible behavior. It’s just that I know people like this in my own life, so I don’t this his discomfort here is indicative of anything other than a dislike of having to smile for the camera.
When watching Gone Girl, I remember those horrible Ben Affleck grimaces and thinking nobody actually smiles like that. And yet here’s William proving me wrong.
I disagree and think that all of the photos look bad, including the one from Trooping. I don’t think the two posed ones where they are standing look bad because of the children, but because of William and his awful smile and beard. He just gives off a creepy vibe and I can’t unsee it even when photographed with his children. The photo of the children piling on him looks very awkward and staged because they are obviously being told what to do and where to place their arms. The placement of all of their arms looks very bizarre and some of them even look uncomfortable. I don’t know what type of father he is to his children, but I do know that his beard makes him look unattractive and doesn’t nothing for him when the wears a military uniform. He is not his brother no matter how much he tries to copy him.
Poor Charlotte-pantyhose at her age? and why couldn’t they have gotten a better colour?
They look very thick, old ladyish, and the colour ,mein gott.
Charlotte’s dress is awful, poor girl. It looks like something my older sisters wore in the 70s, only longer.
I hope for the kids’ sake that William is a good father, but he’s a terrible brother, husband and prince.