Jump for joy: Princess Catherine sends snap surprise for William’s birthday

Prince William and his three children have been captured midair, yelling with great excitement in a family happy snap taken by Catherine, the Princess of Wales.

Prince William with Charlotte, Louis and George in a photo posted on the Princess of Wales’s Instagram page.

Prince William and his three children have been captured midair, yelling with great excitement in a family happy snap taken by Catherine, the Princess of Wales.

This most candid and relaxed picture of the four was released to celebrate William’s 42nd birthday with a caption accompanying the message saying “Happy Birthday Papa, we all love you so much!’’ The message was then signed by Catherine with a kiss.

The picture was taken in North Norfolk, not far from Anmer Hall where Catherine has been recuperating after receiving treatment for cancer and is believed to have been taken last month at the same time as a Father’s Day picture was taken.

Baby William with his father Charles.

This latest shot shows Princess Charlotte, eight, holding her father’s hand and leaping high into the air, with 10-year-old Prince George at the other end looking into the camera. In the middle is the youngest Prince Louis looking down to perhaps avoid landing on the dune grass, while William expressively laughs out loud. The upbeat message from the Waleses follows Catherine’s successful appearance at Trooping the Colour last weekend, her first public outing since Christmas Day which has given the nation a fillip that her recovery is going well.

A week ago Catherine released a picture of herself in the woods at Windsor with a message about her condition as she prepared to join the rest of the royal family at the King’s birthday parade.

She said that her treatment was “ongoing and will be for a few more months”. However, she said that she had found joy in returning to some aspects of daily life.

She said: “On the days I feel well enough, it is a joy to engage with school life, spend personal time on the things that give me ­energy and positivity, as well as starting to do a little work from home.”

Buckingham Palace released a black-and-white archive picture from the Royal Collection Trust to mark William’s birthday. It showed the prince as a baby smiling on his father’s knee.

Additional reporting: The Times