There’s a Hidden Meaning Behind the Royal Family's New Profile Pictures

Members of the royal family are updating their profile pictures on social media. And yes, there’s a hidden meaning behind the sudden changes.

This week, the royal family changed the photo on its official Instagram page to feature King Charles, 74, and wife Camilla Parker Bowles, 76, wearing black and sporting poppy pins. Prince William, 41, and Kate Middleton, also 41, also switched the picture on their joint IG account to one of the couple wearing black and poppy pins.

theroyalfamily/Instagram & princeandprincessofwales/instagram

Of course, there’s a hidden meaning behind everything. The profile photos were changed in honor of Remembrance Day, which is an annual U.K. holiday that falls on November 11 and marks the end of World War I. The royal family has used the artificial flower as a brooch since 1921 to commemorate military members who have died in war.

In fact, the working royals have been wearing poppy pins during their recent outings. Last week, Prince William and Princess Catherine traveled to Wales to visit a charity called Outfit Moray. While the duchess’s Farrah Fawcett-inspired hairstyle stole the show, we also noticed that they were wearing poppy brooches ahead of the annual holiday.

JANE BARLOW/WPA POOL/GETTY IMAGES

Since the new IG photos pay tribute to Remembrance Day, there’s a good chance the royal family will remove the pics once the holiday passes. Perhaps they’ll change the profiles back to what they were. Or if we’re lucky, maybe they’ll pick entirely new photos to feature.

Either way, we appreciate the meaningful—yet subtle—tribute.

Stay up-to-date on every breaking royal family story by subscribing here.

Listen to 'Royally Obsessed,' the Podcast for People Who Love the Royal Family