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Even royal dads were celebrated on Father’s Day last Sunday, including Prince William. But the way his official social media account chose to mark the occasion has managed to draw a lot of controversy.
The post in honor of the holiday was a photo of Will with just one of his three children, daughter Princess Charlotte, but not everyone found it as adorable and endearing as others.
The photo was taken at Trooping the Colour earlier this month.
On Sunday, William was doubly celebrated — not only was it Father’s Day, but the holiday also happened to fall on his 44th birthday this year.
Will and Kate’s official account shared a photo that was taken at Trooping the Colour, showing him posing with his arm around his 11-year-old daughter.
“Happy birthday and Father’s Day to the best Papa in the World! We love you very much. C, G, C & L 💕,” said the caption on the post.
In the comments, most of their followers were gushing over just how alike Will and Charlotte look, while others focused on how cute they are together… but a lot of others had far more negative opinions about the snapshot.
Some royal critics believed Charlotte looked uncomfortable standing so close to her dad.
In the past, including last year, the Father’s Day post shared by Will and Kate usually includes all three of his kids with their dad, so this is definitely a departure from the norm — something that royal critics on Reddit find a bit strange.
Some shared their assessment that Charlotte looked uncomfortable posing with her dad, claiming they both look “stiff.”
“I feel like we’ve seen her real smile, and this isn’t it,” one person wrote. “I don’t blame her, of course, knowing even a modicum of what William must be like, but he is still supposed to be her dad. It’s just a shame that it doesn’t feel like a family photo, but rather a forced photo op. It makes me sad for her.”
Of course, Charlotte could just be an 11-year-old girl who didn’t want to take a picture with her dad, which is very typical. It’s hard to define their entire relationship from a photo.
Other critics believe the post sent a big message about Kate.
Another way the royal social strategy has changed this year: Kate Middleton didn’t receive a birthday or Mother’s Day wish from her family on social media this year, meaning that only William was acknowledged in this way.
“They don’t want her to outshine Willy. The heir must be protected,” one person commented on Reddit.
More glaring than Charlotte being the only child in Will’s post is the fact that Kate didn’t receive any dedicated posts this year at all on either of her special days. Seriously, what is up with that?
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