Keep calm & carry on!

The royal family has always been a beacon in times of national crisis and today’s “firm” has answered the call with the whole family playing its part, writes Juliet Rieden.

- Juliet Rieden

The joyous photograph of Kate and William indulging in a piggyback race in their garden at home, George and Charlotte clinging on to Mum and Dad, their heads thrown back, wind in their hair, was actually taken back in 2018.

But it was the spirit of the shot that I suspect inspired the royal couple to choose it for a Mother’s Day Instagram post in these challenging times. Photographer Matt Porteus captured the moment when he was shooting the Cambridge family for the annual Christmas card. “It’s a very fun shot, very beautiful shot,” he told Hello! magazine. “It’s showing family togetherness, happiness.”

He’s right. Togetherness at home is the potent message here and as the world moved into lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we all wondered if we’d ever feel that carefree and in close connection with each other again.

The innocence of this simple family game was echoed in another post from the Kensington Palace court, this time a video of Princess Charlotte, four, Princes George, six, and Louis, one, standing in a line, grinning from ear to ear and clapping uproariously. This, however, wasn’t a family lark, but royal work which comes hand in glove with their birthright. The captivating gesture from the youngsters lifted spirits not just in the UK, Australia and the Commonwealth where royals have a key role to play, but around the world as the Instagram post virtually soared, watched and shared by millions.