William and Catherine swap in two new portraits as social media profile pictures
The Prince and Princess of Wales have changed their profile pictures on social media.
Prince William and Catherine have replaced the images on their official Kensington Palace Instagram and X accounts with two new portraits, as reported on 2 October by Hello! Magazine. Each platform got a different photograph. It is the first permanent change since 2024.
The old pictures had been in place for two years. They showed the couple sitting together on a blanket in the woods, laughing. That image was a still from the video in which the Princess of Wales said she had finished cancer treatment.
On Instagram, followers will now see a familiar image in a new form. The portrait is a colour version of the photograph first shared in black and white for Valentine's Day earlier this year. It was taken by photographer Josh Shinner in the Norfolk countryside.
On X, the couple chose full state-occasion dress. The portrait was taken before President Donald Trump's second state banquet at Windsor Castle. Catherine wore a gold Chantilly lace evening coat over a silk crepe gown by designer Phillipa Lepley. William wore white tie with a Windsor tailcoat and the sash of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Britain's most senior order of chivalry, with its Lesser George badge.
Profile pictures change rarely on the joint accounts. The couple have previously swapped the image for particular moments. In November 2024 they changed the photograph for Remembrance Day, the annual day when Britain honours its war dead, as reported by PureWow. Earlier, in May 2020, they used a family photograph taken when they joined the weekly Clap for Carers, the lockdown applause for health and care workers, according to People.
They continue to use photographs to mark family milestones. In April they shared a relaxed outdoor family photograph to mark their 15th wedding anniversary on 29 April.
What makes this stand out is the split choice. Instagram gets the informal countryside portrait. X gets the banquet portrait. For fans, this means the first thing you see now depends on where you follow them.
Both accounts still operate under the Kensington Royal banner from Kensington Palace. The X handle is @KensingtonRoyal and the Instagram is princeandprincessofwales.
