‘We love you, Papa’, William’s children write in personal Father’s Day message

The Prince of Wales’s children have wished him a happy Father’s Day with a personally signed social media post declaring “We love you, Papa”.

A new photograph of the Prince of Wales and his three children taken by the Princess of Wales was released on Sunday.

The three youngsters declared: “We love you, Papa. Happy Father’s Day.”

Kensington Palace said Kate’s picture of William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis was taken on the Norfolk coast last month.

The post was the first time a message from the three children has been posted on the family’s social media accounts.

The post comes after other members of the family also posted wishing the fathers in their lives a happy Father’s Day.

The Prince of Wales shared a photo of him playing football with the King.

The photo of William and Charles together in the gardens of Kensington Palace was taken on June 12 1984.

“Happy Father’s Day, Pa,” the social media post, personally signed by William, said.

The photo taken by the PA news agency shows an almost two-year-old William in short dungarees and a stripey blue top and the King in a grey double-breasted suit kicking a small football.

Later that same year William would gain a younger brother, with the Duke of Sussex born in September.

The Royal Family’s X account also shared footage of Charles and his late father, Prince Philip, sourced from the BFI archive.

“Wishing all Dads, and those who may be missing their parents today, a relaxing Father’s Day,” the royal family’s official account said.

Set to piano music, the footage showed several scenes of Philip and Charles together. In one clip Philip lifts baby Charles out of a pram, in another the pair are seen sailing together.

Princess Eugenie also posted on social media to mark Father’s Day.

She shared a photo of husband, Jack Brooksbank, with their children August, three, and Ernest, one, on Instagram.

The photos were captioned: “Happy Father’s Day. We love you.”

It comes after Charles’s official birthday celebrations on Saturday, where the Princess of Wales made her first public appearance this year.

Kate looked relaxed during her first day in the spotlight following her cancer diagnosis for the traditional Trooping the Colour ceremony.

With the King also suffering from cancer, it was a rare joint public outing for the entire family after a period of uncertainty.

She rode to the event in a carriage with her children, while William, the Princess Royal, and the Duke of Edinburgh were on horseback.

The King also rode in a carriage with the Queen, a departure from last year because of his illness.

Kate and members of the royal family were cheered when they were first spotted in The Mall.

The Prince and Princess of Wales on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after Trooping the Colour (Gareth Fuller/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Gareth Fuller

Both Kate and Charles have thanked the public for their support after going public with their illnesses, with Kate saying she had been “blown away” by the “kind messages” that had made a “world of difference to William and me and has helped us both through some of the harder times”.

William’s Father’s Day message follows what has been a difficult year for the royal family.

The prince has balanced supporting his wife and family with maintaining his official duties.

Kate was initially admitted to hospital for abdominal surgery on January 16 and at the time her condition was thought to be non-cancerous, but cancer was found following the successful operation.

Charles was admitted to hospital just days after Kate, also for a procedure deemed unrelated to cancer.

In February, Buckingham Palace confirmed that he had been diagnosed with a form of cancer, which is not prostate cancer, that was discovered while the King was being treated at the private London Clinic for an enlarged prostate.

Charles initially postponed public-facing duties but resumed at the end of April, speaking of his “shock” at being diagnosed with cancer as he met patients during a visit to University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre in central London.