Prince William birthday - new photo

[PrettyFlyforaMaiTai]

Kensington Palace have released a new photo of William and the children to mark his 42nd birthday. The photo was taken by Catherine.

Honestly I think this is one of my favourite photos of the family!

It’s a lovely photo of a family having a fun day on the beach taken by their mum during a pretty shitty year for them. As always with MN, some posters find other people’s happiness hard to take - composition and difference of opinion my arse.

I wonder why that is?

You do understand people don't have to like the photo don't you? I know this board is a total echo chamber but general lack of dissent due to seeing oddness and clicking off doesn't mean people don't think differently from you. I don't like it, don't take it so personally.

Off the top of my head, the only photo of the royals that I really thought was nice was that one of Meghan and the umbrella in the rain. Which is probably forbidden on this board but anyway...

A lovely photo and my favourite of the two of them.
Are you sure there aren’t recent photos of the RF that you like?

Why did I choose that one? Because it's literally the only one I could remember liking out of all the photos that I've probably seen and immediately forgotten and that is totally down to a lucky moment and the photographer's quick thinking and skill. This board really is crazy!

No one has said that the photo has to be liked or that Meghan can’t be mentioned here.

There must be those pesky invisible words floating about that I can’t see. Again.

If the photo isn’t liked, then it isn’t liked.

I’m just not overly convinced that it is all about the picture.

The board can be crazy yes.

But only if some take offence where there is none and read words in posts that aren’t there.

Who's taking it personally? Not I.
Echo chamber? I fear you misunderstand the term. There are very different opinions on here. Yours being one.

Offhand, no. None that have particularly stood out to me that I can remember while doom scrolling or reading the paper. I'm not really interested, I only clicked on the thread because it was in trending and I wanted something to read on the bus on the way home, had a nosey at the picture because I hadn't seen it, didn't like it, had another look today and still don't like it, I don't have to. It really is that simple. Most things are.

I think the difference is this: many of us who have liked the Wales' family picture have also liked some of the Sussex pictures. I think it's possible to be happy for a family and wish them well, even if you don't care for them.
That's the difference. The lack of hate.

I'm sorry to have to say that you sound a deeply unhappy person and that this thread seems to be making it worse, for some reason. I'm not sure why you have to mark the photo, either; perhaps if you stopped doing that and being so dogmatic about it and accept it for what it is - a happy family snap - you might stop getting so wound up over it.

Why on earth would you think that? And does that mean that it's not about the picture for everyone saying how much they love it? If so, why aren't they being questioned? Maybe just take things at face value because it's not that deep. I'm racking my brains now for an official picture I liked but I don't particularly like/care about the person (which is most public figures tbh) just to fit in your category and the only one I can think of is Rishi Sunak with tea where everyone kicked off and that's probably because I really like tea so who cares if he's in it too?

I was surprised by the caption. Not great grammar and also 'Papa'?
His children call him 'papa'?!

Great photo and don't think she'd dare go near photoshop.

Liking a happy family picture I would say is the norm.
What's strange is the negativity and hatred.
Someone shows you a nice family snap - what's the normal reaction?
"It's fake, I loathe it, the composition is awful, it's dreadful, I bet that needed 1,000 takes" or
"How lovely! Everyone looks happy after a tough time. Nice".

"not great grammar" 😂
It's Instagram, not the Court Circular!

Maybe I’ll take things as I see them thank you.

You are right in that it isn’t that deep.

It is inordinately shallow.

I call my dad papa.

My Brummie friend calls her dad "Pops".
No judgement from me.

This is what I feel.

And no I’m not a raging monarchist. But I am a mum ( who thankfully isn’t called upon to issue photos and then have my dcs, my DH, my photography skills etc picked apart by all and sundry ) and as a mum I see a lovely photo of the children looking genuinely joyful after a hard year for them all. What do people actually want? Had it been more staged to geg the composition perfect, or the blur gone etc etc we’d be back in the ridiculous photo shop scandal ( of a woman undergoing cancer treatment).

It’s nothing about the “ royalness” or otherwise but simply that because we do know what’s happened in their lives without necessary knowing them personally, a little human part of me warms to see them looking happy and relaxed in a way I wouldn’t respond to an advert or photo of people I knew nothing of. That’s how human empathy tends to work.

Jeezo, this thread went totally mental.

MN - never change, you weird, normal, crazy, genuine, envious, upside down board.

Comedy Gold.

As for thinking that the Annie Liebovitz photo of the late Queen was less staged than the photo of the Waleses jumping off the dune. Well done, you've actually broken my brain with that one.

I called my father Dad, and my grandfathers Papa. But I'm working class West Scotland and its how my family called themselves. I believe its the thing in the BRF to call fathers Pa or Papa. Going by the evidence of Charles calling his mother Mama, his father Papa, Harry calling his father Pa and William also doing so.

As for grammar - so I'm assuming it's just what Princess Charlotte said and wanted to be the message. Maybe at 8yo her grammar needs improvement?
Edit spelling

Human empathy yes 🙏

I could win prizes for pedantry and even I give some leeway to SM over stuff like that.

It must be exhausting being some people on here. Imagine when their kids brought first paintings homes from school - 'your colour combinations are awful, the roof of the house is wonky and why have made the tree pink and given mummy orange hair? Trees are GREEN! 2/10 and you needn't think I'm sticking THAT on the fridge! I HATE IT!'

I’m with you on the grammar thing. It’s no biggie online. Working with a touchscreen keyboard especially does let grammar and spelling errors slip in. I’m pretty good handwritten but sometimes I have seen my previous posts on here and it takes me a second to even work out what I had written ( intended to write)!
That said wasn’t the “C” Catherine not Charlotte?

There have been some stunning photos of Meghan and Harry, including the one in the rain. We haven't seen many of their kids (this is NOT a criticism) but they look lovely.

It isn't a formal photo but it isn't some strangers random snap (would still be nice if it were) It is a very informal shot of a group that includes 2 future Kings (sorry) and is of a family most of us know something about, including the very crap year they have had so far. I've felt terribly sorry for William, father with cancer, wife and mother of his kids with cancer at a relatively young age. He lost his mother as a teenager and it played out under unprecedented publicity.

Yes, I'm happy to see them happy and that includes Kate from behind her camera, just as involved.

I’ve not seen many but Archie strikes me as a real cutie.