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Kate Middleton Shared A New Photo Of Prince William & Their Kids At The Beach

Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis celebrated their “papa” on Father’s Day.

by Kaitlin Kimont

He might be His Royal Highness to us or even “One-Pint Willy” to some of his cheeky relatives, but the heir apparent to the British throne is just “Papa” to his three kids. In honor of Father’s Day on June 16, Kate Middleton captured a sweet new photo of Prince William with their children — Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6 — sharing a hug on the beach.

In the new photo, taken by the Princess of Wales earlier this year, Prince William is dressed casually in a navy blue sweatshirt, green cargo shorts, and a baseball hat as his arms are wrapped around Princess Charlotte and Prince George’s shoulders. His children matched the relaxed dress code, with all three of them also wearing shorts as they posed on the beach and look toward the water.

“We love you, Papa. Happy Father’s Day 💕 G, C & L,” the photo shared on the Prince and Princess of Wales’ Instagram was captioned. “Papa” is just one of many nicknames George, Charlotte, and Louis have for their dad, but it appears to be a favorite.

Kensington Palace told the BBC that the photo was taken during a trip to the Norfolk coast in May.

Middleton’s Father’s Day tribute landed one day after this year’s Trooping the Colour, her first public appearance since she announced her cancer diagnosis in March. The entire family showed up to support King Charles for the annual ceremonial event that celebrates the sovereign’s “official birthday.” And as has become tradition, between the carriage ride to Buckingham Palace and the flypast, Prince Louis kept royal watchers thoroughly entertained during the whole shebang while Princess Charlotte was on big sister duty.

Ahead of the events, the Princess of Wales, who is currently undergoing cancer treatment, shared an update on her health. “I am making good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days,” she wrote in a post shared on social media. “On those bad days you feel weak, tired and you have to give in to your body resting. But on the good days, when you feel stronger, you want to make the most of feeling well. My treatment is ongoing and will be for a few more months. On the days I feel well enough, it is a joy to engage with school life, spend personal time on the things that give me energy and positivity, as well as starting to do a little work from home.”

Middleton added that while she hopes to “join a few public engagements over the summer,” she’s not rushing her recovery as she acknowledged she is “not out of the woods yet.”

“I am learning how to be patient, especially with uncertainty,” she said. “Taking each day as it comes, listening to my body, and allowing myself to take this much needed time to heal.”