Prince Louis’s Latest Portrait Is a Hilarious Take on “Instagram vs. Reality”
There’s a viral TikTok anthem, “Bored in the House,” by rapper Curtis Roach. Its opening lyrics are: “Okay, I’m bored in the house and I’m in the house bored.” And that’s the song that comes to mind when gazing upon these new chaotic pictures of Prince Louis.
Let’s back up for a second: Every year, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge share portraits of their children to mark their birthdays. They’re usually standard stuff: The kids are happy, smiling, and adorable.
Last night, the couple shared three images of Prince Louis that fit the traditional mold. He’s happy and looking at the camera (it probably helps that the person behind it is mother Kate Middleton). His hands have paint on them, because he made a precious little finger-painting on a piece of white construction paper.
This morning, though, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge posted two hilarious follow-ups of their youngest child. In both, he exudes manic toddler energy. One shows the little prince with paint smeared all over his face. “Instagram vs. Reality,” the Cambridges captioned the side-by-side shots. “Thank you for your lovely messages on Prince Louis’s second birthday.”
They added a rainbow emoji at the end, a likely nod to the children’s movement of painting rainbows to show their appreciation for health care workers.
Royal fans were delighted, with the comments section on Instagram brimming with positive notes. “We kept asking how the Duchess got Prince Louis to NOT put paint all over himself during the whole ordeal. Now we know. Lol,” read one. Princess Eugenie, Prince William’s cousin, also commented with a heart.
The posts also resonated with housebound parents everywhere, who with schools, parks, and playgrounds closed, are suddenly handling cooped up children.
Royal accounts are often, well, dry affairs, filled with stock images and media-relations approved text. But here, Prince William and Kate Middleton weren’t social media stuffy. In fact, they were savvy. Instagram vs. reality is a common meme format. Employing it also showed a degree of self-awareness: so often the Windsor family puts up a glamorous, polished front in the name of monarchial professionalism. But a two-year-old is a two-year-old—messy, energetic, and a handful. No matter what family they’re born into.
Originally Appeared on Vogue
