Royal Photographer Shares His ‘Favorite’ Photo of Prince William with His Kids in a ‘Spontaneous Moment’

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• Royal photographer Josh Shinner shared a sweet tribute to Prince William and his family

• Shinner, who has worked with the royals since 2023, posted a candid black and white shot of William lying on the ground, surrounded by his smiling children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis

• The sweet photograph came from a family shoot that the family has also shared on Father’s Day and the young princes’ birthdays

Photographer Josh Shinner has captured some of Kate Middleton and Prince William‘s most endearing family moments, and he has revealed one of his favorite images of the royals.

“It’s been a real privilege to photograph the @princeandprincessofwales over the last couple of years, and this might be my favourite shot to date,” Shinner captioned a candid family photo posted to his Instagram account on Sept. 10. “Just a really joyful and spontaneous moment that I’m so happy to have been there for.”

The photograph, taken during a family shoot that William and Kate have shared multiple times this year, is a candid black-and-white shot of Prince William lying on the ground, surrounded by his smiling children. Princess Charlotte, 10, grins at the camera, while her brothers, Prince George, 12, and Prince Louis, 7, have their faces turned towards their father.

The photo was previously shared on the Prince and Princess’s Instagram account as part of a Father’s Day tribute to Prince William in June. Alongside a more formal image, the caption joked that the two shots were a “before and after” moment.

The family has also shared other photos from the same photo shoot for Prince George’s birthday in July and Prince Louis’ birthday in April.

Shinner first worked with William and Kate’s family when he shot the photo that would become their 2023 Christmas card. The black and white photo featured the family in matching button-downs and dark pants, a casual departure from the typical royal portrait.

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That same year, the Yorkshire-born photographer opened up to Harper’s Bazaar about how getting comfortable with his subjects is one of the most important components to getting a great portrait.

“I’ve always loved portraiture and the people I most enjoy photographing are those that take some warming up,” he said. “Maybe they’re nervous or they don’t want to be there, or perhaps they find having their picture taken as pleasant as going to the dentist, but I love trying to make those people feel at ease and chatting to them – normally about anything other than the shot we’re about to take – then making them comfortable enough to take a good picture.”

“The feeling when it all comes together and you make something you’re both happy with is hard to beat,” he added.

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