Why George, Charlotte and Louis are unlikely to recreate iconic royal moment

The Prince and Princess of Wales are preparing to enjoy some quality time with their children during the upcoming February school holidays.

Prince William and Kate are doting parents to their three children, and while Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six, have made a number of high-profile public appearances over the years, their privacy is always protected.

The Waleses have enjoyed family holidays and outings, including trips to the ballet, Lapland UK and festivals, but photographs of the royals off-duty have not been published.

When William and his brother, Prince Harry, were children, their late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales wanted to ensure that her children remained down-to-earth despite their status, and would take them to McDonalds, the cinema and theme parks.

However, Diana visited Thorpe Park with her sons in the early 1990s, and on each occasion, the Princess and the Princes were photographed as they giggled on the log flume and rollercoasters.

But George, Charlotte and Louis are unlikely to recreate such an iconic photograph with their parents, as they have been afforded a greater degree of privacy.

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Kensington Palace released a statement from the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to leaders of the media industry in 2015, asking them not to publish unauthorised photos of their children, following paparazzi harassment of Prince George.

William and Kate have taken other intentional steps to protect their children’s privacy, with the Princess starting the tradition of taking official photographs to mark George, Charlotte and Louis’ birthdays in 2015, rather than hiring a photographer.

© The Princess of Wales

The young royals are gradually being introduced to their public duties, with George and Charlotte accompanying their parents to sporting events such as the Euros and Wimbledon in recent years.

While no doubt George is being prepared for his future duties by his parents and grandfather, King Charles, William and Kate are trying to ensure that his upbringing is as normal as possible.

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In an interview with the UK print media in Cape Town, South Africa last November, William said that school takes priority over duties for his three young children.

“Family-wise, you’ll have to wait a little bit longer because obviously they’re at school and I think that takes priority over everything else,” William said. “But I think hopefully Catherine will be doing a bit more next year, so we’ll have some more trips maybe lined up.”