After overcoming a challenging few years, the Prince and Princess of Wales have made a quiet return to their roots with one subtle move. William and Kate celebrated their milestone 15th wedding anniversary last week, and to mark the occasion, they shared a wholesome family photograph that bore a striking resemblance to one they took nearly a decade earlier.
The royal couple was all smiles as they lay in the grass with their dogs and their three children: Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, eight. The family of five cut casual figures in shorts and t-shirts as they soaked up the warm weather and radiated happiness in one of their most informal snaps yet.
The scene felt reminiscent of a GQ magazine photoshoot the family posed for in 2017, which similarly featured the royal couple beaming and spending time in the great outdoors with a then much younger Prince George and Princess Charlotte, as well as with their late Cocker Spaniel pup Lupo.
Familiar scene
Speaking of the comparison between the 2017 and 2026 photos, Alexandra Hurtado, HELLO!’s US Royal News Correspondent, said: “The Prince and Princess of Wales’ 15th wedding anniversary photo felt like a familiar scene, with the couple enjoying time outdoors in nature with their children and dogs.
“While years have passed and their family has grown, the new portrait is a reminder that some things stay the same, like William and Catherine still as in love as ever.”
William and Kate share a mutual love of nature and have seemingly drawn on the outdoors to symbolise their happiness and close family connection after a trying few years. The Prince and Princess of Wales previously used the outdoors as a backdrop for a moving family video announcing Kate had completed her course of preventative chemotherapy in September 2024.
Challenging few years
The recent family photograph follows a challenging few years for the Waleses after Kate’s cancer battle. The Princess of Wales shared in March 2024 that she had received a cancer diagnosis and was undergoing preventative chemotherapy. The royal announced she was in remission in January 2025.
In a candid interview with actor Eugene Levy last October for the star’s Apple TV+ show The Reluctant Traveler, Prince William reflected on the challenging time.
“Everything is progressing in the right way, which is all good news. But it’s important my family feel protected and have the space to process a lot of the stuff that’s gone on last year, and that was tricky trying to do that and keep doing the job,” William admitted.
“But you know, we all have challenges that come our way and it’s important to keep going,” he added.
Speaking of how his children have managed, William said: “We try to make sure we give them the security and the safety that they need and we’re a very open family, so we talk about things that bother us, and things that trouble us, but you never quite know the knock-on effects that it can have. And so, it’s just important to be there for each other and to kind of reassure the children that everything is okay.”
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