One of Prince William and Kate’s most trusted photographers has revealed his favourite photo that he’s ever captured of the royal family – and gave a sweet insight into their relationship.
Josh Shinner, from Yorkshire, has spent the last two years recording the Wales family’s most cherished moments – including the Father’s Day tribute to William in June, and Prince George’s 12th birthday portrait in July.
With many moments from his time behind the lens to choose from, it’s no surprise that his favourite photo of all was incredibly heartwarming.
This week, Josh took to Instagram to share a black-and-white photo of Prince William, 43, in the middle of a cuddle puddle with Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, seven, piled on top of him.
The heir to the throne could be seen laughing under the beaming faces of his and the Princess of Wales‘s children as they lay on a patch of grass and daffodils.
The image was first shared on the Wales’s official social media accounts in June to mark Father’s Day, alongside a second image that showed the royal’s children, all sporting cosy dusky green ensembles, beaming as they face the camera with William’s hands are affectionately on his kids’ shoulders.
In the caption, Josh gave royal fans and insight into how the Wales family act around each other when out of the public spotlight, saying it was a ‘joyful and spontaneous’ moment.
He wrote: ‘It’s been a real privilege to photograph the Prince and Princess of Wales over the last couple of years, and this might be my favourite shot to date.
(L-R) The Prince of Wales, Prince George, Prince Louis, the Princess of Wales, and Princess Charlotte have entrust photographer Josh Shinner with capturing some of their most cherished moments over the last couple of years
‘Just a really joyful and spontaneous moment that I’m so happy to have been there for.’
Josh also snapped the official photograph of Prince Louis to mark his seventh birthday in April as well as the the portrait of Kate Middleton released to celebrate her 43rd birthday in April.
He first worked with the Waleses in 2023, when he captured the family portrait for their Christmas card that year, and has been shooting them ever since.
Fans adored the cuddly snap of William, George, Charlotte and Louis, with many people commenting with love hearts and heart-eye emojis.
Even celebrities such as Florence Pugh, who has previously worked with Josh, and Eleanor Tomlinson liked the photo on Instagram.
Fellow royal photographer Matt Porteous praised his colleague and said: ‘Such a beautiful image Josh.’
‘Beautiful moment of such a lovely family,’ one person wrote.
Another said: ‘Love this… great natural shot of happy children and loving father.’
Josh revealed that the Wales family are ‘joyful and spontaneous’ behind the scenes. Pictured for Trooping The Colour in June
A third added that it was a ‘perfect family photo’, while other fans described the image as ‘stunning’ and ‘precious’.
As well as photographing William and Kate and their three children, Josh is also known for working with celebrities like Andrew Scott, Will Sharpe and Naomi Ackie, and conducting photo shoots for Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue and Esquire, among other titles.
The image comes after the Prince and Princess of Wales appeared at the national federation of the Women’s Institute (WI) in Sunningdale, Ascot, where they paid tribute to the late Queen on the third anniversary of her death.
Over tea and cake, William heard stories of the late Queen and said that he ‘can’t believe it has been three years’ since the death of his grandmother.
The late Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022. The Duke of Sussex was understood to have visited her grave on Monday to pay tribute, but has not seen William or other members of the royal family.
During his engagement at the WI, William also spoke warmly of his children, describing Louis as ‘a character but he’s a very good boy’ and adding: ‘He likes to wind his brother and sister up.’
When it was pointed out that George appeared to be the sensible one, the prince smiled and replied: ‘When George is behind closed doors it’s completely different. George just knows how to behave.’
He added, by way of explanation, that there was ‘five years difference’ between his two sons.
Today, Kate, 43, wore a stunning ensemble as she stepped out to ‘celebrate the unique skill, creativity and craftsmanship’ of British creative industries
Meanwhile, Prince Harry has been carrying a number of engagements on his own in the UK, including attending the WellChild Awards and the Community Recording Studio (CRS) in Nottingham.
Yesterday, Harry and his father King Charles had a long-awaited reconciliation at Clarence House.
The Duke of Sussex said of the Monarch ‘Yes he’s great, thank you,’ when asked about the face-to-face meeting during a reception for the Invictus Games, which he launched in 2014 as a tournament for injured service personnel and veterans.
Appearing relaxed, smiling and upbeat, Harry mingled with corporate sponsors and government ministers as he attended the event in The Gherkin, London, ahead of a speech outlining the next 10 years of his Invictus movement.
Harry, 40, arrived at the event 40 minutes later than planned after travelling directly from a private tea with the Monarch, which lasted for 55 minutes. It was their first meeting in 19 months since the Duke flew to the UK to see Charles in February 2024.
He was spotted being driven into the royal residence in a black Range Rover at 5.20pm before leaving in the same car at around 6.15pm.
Harry, who has been a patron of WellChild for 17 years, also announced a £1.1million donation to BBC Children in Need.
Harry opened up parenting in an interview with Hello! Magazine and admitted that ‘everything changes’ as he reflected on becoming a father to Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four.
Speaking of the WellChild Awards, he added: ‘It’s emotional enough not being a parent and seeing what these families go through, but then when you have your own kids or when you’re expecting your own kids, that’s when it really hits you.’