Prince Charles shares unseen photo of Prince William to mark his 38th birthday
It’s a day of double celebrations for Prince William - who is enjoying both Father’s Day and his 38th birthday.
To mark the occasion, Prince Charles, 71, has shared an unseen photo of his son to Instagram.
The sweet image, taken late last year by Kate Middleton, sees the Queen’s heir and his eldest child hug while on a chilly country walk at Sandringham.
Captioning the image, he wrote: “Wishing a very happy birthday to The Duke of Cambridge today!”
Read more: Royal fans praise 'adorable' pictures of Prince William with three kids to mark Father's Day
In less than an hour, the candid family snap of the first and second-in-line to the throne has already received more than 2,000 ‘likes’.
One person wrote: “That’s such a great photograph, so sweet.”
Another commented: “Adorable.”
A third shared: “Gorgeous photo.”
Happy Father’s Day!
On the left, The Duke of Cambridge with Prince of Wales at Sandringham in December 2019, and on the right, Michael Middleton with his daughter Catherine
Photo on the left taken by The Duchess of Cambridge pic.twitter.com/VN461CZzmi— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) June 21, 2020
The image was also shared on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Instagram account to mark Father’s Day, alongside a throwback snap of the royal mum as a young girl with her own father Michael.
It has received 368,000 ‘likes’, with many praising Kate’s photography skills.
Earlier today, Charles also paid tribute in another Instagram post to his father, the Duke of Edinburgh, as well as his sons - who are themselves now both parents.
The first image shared was a black and white image of him as a youngster being held by the 99-year-old - alongside his sister Princess Anne in Her Majesty’s arms - taken outside Clarence House in 1951.
A second photo was of the Queen’s son with William as well as Prince Harry at the Cirencester Park Polo Cup in 2004.
Similarly, this post has received more than 54,000 ‘likes’, and comments praising the “beautiful” old pictures.
It comes as royal fans shared their delight at sweet family images - taken by Kate - of the Duke of Cambridge playing with their kids in the garden of their country home Anmer Hall in Norfolk.
One shot shows the hands-on royal father - who also turns 38 today - posing on a swing with Prince George, six, Princess Charlotte, five, and Prince Louis, two.
Since being posted on Instagram, it has received more than 1.9m ‘likes’ with more than 21,000 people also leaving delighted comments.
One person wrote: “Amazing family.”
Another commented: “Prince William looks so happy! Fatherhood suits him.“
A third shared: “All the kids look so grown up!”
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And a fourth added: “This is ADORABLE.”
Many social media users also revealed their admiration for Charlotte’s denim playsuit, which she wore with a striped T-Shirt.
There were also several who drew attention to the likeness between her brothers, who they suggested looked “like twins”.
The caption explained that the candid photo had been taken earlier this month.
A second image, featuring the duke being sweetly wrestled by his children on the grass, has been shared to mark today’s double celebrations for the family.