Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, General News 4: Apr 2018-Sep 2022

[TLLK]

How is it possible that George is celebrating his eighth birthday? Great photo of a very happy boy.

 

[A-Bik]

Happy B-day George.

Looks more & more like Earl Spencer.

 

[CrownPrincessJava]

He's so big!!
His smile is all William but he still looks a lot like Michael Middleton.

Agreed! He still looks a lot like the Middleton side of the gene pool. Charlotte is Prince William's mini-me

 

[Leopoldine]

He looks so much like William.

Dare I say, given the orange and blue stripes, that young George might, just might be a fan of the New York Mets baseball team?

 

[Sunnystar]

Cover up the eyes and forehead and George is all William. The older he gets, the more the Windsor genes take over, much like his dad.

 

[BriarRose]

This is my favorite birthday photo of George so far!

 

[Tarlita]

I really love the fact that George's Mum shares her wonderful photos with us. How does eight years go so quickly?

 

[moby]

Dad's genes coming through! He seems like a relaxed, happy little kid. I hope he will be well-adjusted to his future role, growing up as he is in a stable and strong family unit with plenty of examples of positive, healthy relationships would surely help.

 

[eya]

8th birthday for George
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E62bUU7X0AUNRyN?format=jpg&name=900x900

Lovely picture of a happy little boy!!

 

[Elly C]

Such a lovely photo.

 

[An Ard Ri]

Wonderful new photo to mark the Prince's 8th Birthday!

 

[CyrilVladisla]

Prince George looks quite a lot like Grandfather Michael Middleton.

 

[suztav]

Prince George looks quite a lot like Grandfather Michael Middleton.

I agree. He has always been a mini-Michael Middleton

 

[AC21091968]

Lovely photo of Prince George with his delightful smile! ?

Can't believe he is eight years old now, time really flies!

 

[sophie25]

The birthday pics they release look the same for all the children, just a close up of their faces smiling. It's a shame they can't put out nicer ones as I always think it makes the pictures look grudged , as though they only do it because they more or less have to.

 

[Skippy]

The birthday pics they release look the same for all the children, just a close up of their faces smiling. It's a shame they can't put out nicer ones as I always think it makes the pictures look grudged , as though they only do it because they more or less have to.

How would 'nicer ones' look like?

 

[Mirabel]

George looks like a healthy, happy little boy! I think it's a very nice picture.

(If he'd been posed differently, people might complain they couldn't see his face.)

 

[sophie25]

How would 'nicer ones' look like?

Well for a birthday perhaps one with his cake but William dosn't want the public to see a single thing about their lives and that's why the backgrounds are always blurred out too. As I said, the pictures never give the impression of being released with any goodwill towards the public but they basically have to to it if they want the Monarchy to continue.

 

[_Heather_]

My goodness eight years has flown by quickly! What a lovely photo of George...I can already see what a handsome young man he'll be over the next few years but I think several of us might always have a soft spot for the toothy grins of his childhood years. It really is so nice to see such relaxed glimpses of a young George when we'll eventually get to see so much formality.

 

[muriel]

Well for a birthday perhaps one with his cake but William dosn't want the public to see a single thing about their lives and that's why the backgrounds are always blurred out too. As I said, the pictures never give the impression of being released with any goodwill towards the public but they basically have to to it if they want the Monarchy to continue.

As people in the public domain, the Cambridge family have a fine line to tread: share enough so that the public get to celebrate alongside George, and at the same time, maintain their privacy and keep some distance. I think they do this well. We saw a lot more of the children last year during the height of the pandemic, when the nation did need cheering up. Perhaps less is needed now.

That the pictures released are not formal portraits taken by a professional but pictures taken by their mother in a relaxed, informal atmosphere, to me, reveals a lot more of the personalities of the children than any "cake" might do.

 

[JoanHarry]

Well for a birthday perhaps one with his cake but William dosn't want the public to see a single thing about their lives and that's why the backgrounds are always blurred out too. As I said, the pictures never give the impression of being released with any goodwill towards the public but they basically have to to it if they want the Monarchy to continue.

The backgrounds are blurred because Kate is using a common photography technique called bokeh. Newer iPhones try and emulate the look, but true bokeh comes from a DSLR camera and a photographer experienced in shooting manually. She is a very good photographer.

 

[Blog Real]

The photo is wonderful, you can see that he is a happy boy.

 

[Osipi]

I actually like the pictures that just totally focus on the subject such as George's birthday picture. His birthday is all about him and that's exactly what we see. Pure and unadulterated George. ?

 

[Skippy]

Well for a birthday perhaps one with his cake but William dosn't want the public to see a single thing about their lives and that's why the backgrounds are always blurred out too. As I said, the pictures never give the impression of being released with any goodwill towards the public but they basically have to to it if they want the Monarchy to continue.

If that would be so, then they would never release a picture at all.

The photo is wonderful, you can see that he is a happy boy.

That is what I see, too.

 

[stunking]

Wonderful photo of the lad. Nice looking boy.

 

[Heavs]

Cute picture, I can't believe he's eight, he's really growing up.

For my two cents, I think they generally walk the line with the pictures quite well. No there aren't "birthday boy surrounded by cake and cards" pictures but this one has him sitting on a Land Rover Defender in a call back to Prince Philip. It's not a new detail but it is a nice touch.

His other birthday pictures recently have shown him in a camo top and the England strip laughing his head off which shows something of his personality beyond the somewhat shy looks he has on huge occasions. Louis of course had the famous rainbow hands set of pictures last year which was both fun and very appropriate.

Some thought the more intimate "mother's day cards to Granny Diana" were a bit too much others liked them and the cake to Kate started a bit of a debate about if they actually helped make it.

I think there's no right or wrong opinion on what they're showing. I don't think the pictures seem grudging but I don't think they're ever going to be as open as Victoria and Daniel are with Estelle either.

 

[Hallo girl]

The birthday pics they release look the same for all the children, just a close up of their faces smiling. It's a shame they can't put out nicer ones as I always think it makes the pictures look grudged , as though they only do it because they more or less have to.

There is a balance between under and over exposure ( no pun intended) William is trying to keep that balance.

 

[muriel]

Cute picture, I can't believe he's eight, he's really growing up.

For my two cents, I think they generally walk the line with the pictures quite well. No there aren't "birthday boy surrounded by cake and cards" pictures but this one has him sitting on a Land Rover Defender in a call back to Prince Philip. It's not a new detail but it is a nice touch.

His other birthday pictures recently have shown him in a camo top and the England strip laughing his head off which shows something of his personality beyond the somewhat shy looks he has on huge occasions. Louis of course had the famous rainbow hands set of pictures last year which was both fun and very appropriate.

Some thought the more intimate "mother's day cards to Granny Diana" were a bit too much others liked them and the cake to Kate started a bit of a debate about if they actually helped make it.

I think there's no right or wrong opinion on what they're showing. I don't think the pictures seem grudging but I don't think they're ever going to be as open as Victoria and Daniel are with Estelle either.

There is a balance between under and over exposure ( no pun intended) William is trying to keep that balance.

I have to agree, I think they are doing well to maintain the balance.

 

[Princess Luna]

Happy birthday to George ? I can't belive he is already 8!

 

[Eloisa]

To be honest, this photo is similar to that of his 7th birthday, which is similar to that of his 6th birthday... All of them have George smiling in the foreground and the background is blurry.
I see no resemblance to William, but I see a lot of Michael Middleton (face shape, smile, eyes colour) and Charles Spencer (eyes shape, hair colour/pattern). I agree that Kate and William are doing a great job of managing the image of their children, because they show them to the public without over-exposing them.