Schoolboy prince puts his art into Mother’s Day as the royals send special greetings
Rare images over the generations mark a very different Mothering Sunday for the nation
HIS great-grandmother holds one of the world’s foremost art collections, his grandfather is patron of the National Gallery, and his mother is an art history graduate.
Little wonder, then, that six-year-old Prince George shows quite the talent for art, on show in the handmade Mother’s Day card which he gave the Duchess of Cambridge.
The card, complete with tissue paper flowers and cut-out vase, was one of a number of images that the Cambridges shared with the nation on a very different Mothering Sunday. As families across the country practised “social distancing”, staying away from seeing elderly relatives under advice to combat coronavirus, the Duke and Duchess sent an online message: “To mothers new and old and families spending today together and apart – we are thinking of you all at this difficult time.”
They shared images including one previously unseen photograph of the Duke and Duchess giving Prince George and Princess Charlotte piggyback rides at their home in Norfolk, part of a set that was used for their Christmas card.
Another showed the Duke and his brother, Harry, as small boys with their mother Diana, Princess of Wales, and a third had the Duchess as a baby in the arms of her mother, Carole Middleton.
Kensington Palace declined to say whether Prince George had a little adult guidance in making his colourful card, which shows a very steady hand and a good eye for detail. The family spent the day privately, and are understood to be following government advice to avoid all unnecessary social contact.
The day was also acknowledged on the social media channels of other members of the family.
Buckingham Palace shared a black and white image of the Queen, then Princess Elizabeth, in 1951 with her mother, Queen Elizabeth, holding on to their hats as they arrived at Westminster Abbey for a wedding.
The message read: “Mothering Sunday is a chance to thank and celebrate all mothers and caregivers, wherever they may be.
“Today may be a different and difficult day for those who would usually plan to spend time with their mothers, as we adapt to the necessary changes and disruption to our normal routine and regular patterns of life.
“But for all Mums everywhere, we are thinking of you, and wish you all a very special #mothersday.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex posted from Canada with a message reading: “Mummy. Mum. Mom. Mama. Granny. Nan. Thank you.
“No matter what you call your mum, this Mother’s Day in the UK, we honour the mums all over the world who do so much every single day, and now more than ever.”
Clarence House wished people a Happy Mother’s Day “particularly in a year when families may not be able to be together”, with an image of a young Prince Charles playing in the Clarence House garden with his mother in 1950.
Kensington Palace also shared a message from Heads Together, their mental health charity, which asked people to get in touch with those who found Mother’s Day difficult.
The 93-year-old Queen, along with the Duke of Edinburgh, is socially distancing herself at Windsor Castle with a reduced household, having left London on Thursday.
Her eldest son the Prince of Wales, 71, and the 72-year-old Duchess of Cornwall are reported to have moved from Highgrove in Gloucestershire to Birkhall in Scotland.
‘Today may be a different and difficult day for those who would usually spend time with their mothers’