Daddy’s helping hand
Duke and Duchess of Sussex delight their 8.5m followers with latest picture of their baby son
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have released a photograph of their son Archie on Instagram to mark Father’s Day. The sepia-tinted image of the baby in his father’s hands is the first the couple have released in which their Archie’s eyes are visible
HE IS just six weeks old and growing fast. Yesterday, the wide eyes of Archie Mountbatten-windsor were seen by the public for the first time, as his proud parents shared his sepia-toned photograph on Instagram in celebration of Father’s Day.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Instagram picture showed half of their baby boy’s face while his tiny hand clasped his father’s finger.
With the Duke’s wedding ring taking centre stage, the proud parents appear to be aiming to maintain a modicum of privacy by keeping the bottom half of Archie’s face covered in the image shared with their 8.5million followers.
Fans remarked on the baby’s likeness to both of his parents, although the Instagram filter offered no clues as to the colour of his hair as he nestled in his father’s arms.
The family are celebrating their first Father’s Day now settled at their new home in Frogmore Cottage, Windsor.
It is the clearest image fans have seen yet of the seventh-in-line to the throne, who was fast asleep when he appeared in front of cameras wrapped in a blanket as a newborn. This time, he is dressed in a babygrow, which looks to be decorated with chicks, with the sleeves rolled up to fit him.
The picture’s caption read: “Happy Father’s Day! And wishing a very special first Father’s Day to the Duke of Sussex.” The message was markedly different to the Instagram post shared on the US’S Mother’s Day, May 12, which included a photograph of Archie’s feet being cradled by the Los Angeles-born Duchess.
It was captioned: “Paying tribute to all mothers today, past, present, mothers-to-be, and those lost but forever remembered. We honour and celebrate each and every one of you.” The message was widely interpreted as referring to Diana, Princess of Wales, with her favourite flower, forget-me-not in the picture. The Duchess’s mother, Doria, also featured. The Sussexes’ Father’s Day post, in contrast, mentioned only the Duke, rather than including the Prince of Wales, or Thomas Markle, the Duchess’s estranged father.
The photograph sent admirers of the Sussexes into overdrive, winning a million “likes” in around three hours. They will soon be offered another glimpse of Archie, with his christening early next month at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
Then, the Duke and Duchess will follow tradition by dressing Archie in a replica of the Honiton lace christening gown dating back to Queen Victoria, with a ceremony conducted by the Dean of Windsor and Archbishop of Canterbury, The Sunday Times reported.
The Queen is expected to miss the christening due to a diary clash, with the Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall and Duke and Duchess of Cambridge set to attend. Kensington Palace posted a simple “happy Father’s Day” message with old photographs of the Duke of Cambridge with his children and his father. One image showed the Duke holding son Prince Louis on a swing.