It's not always easy to get children and babies to smile for photos – and royal youngsters are no different. But luckily for photographers, Prince Charles used to have a genius way of making his sons Prince William and Prince Harry giggle during official portrait sessions. An image taken in October 1985 shows Charles adorably playing peek-a-boo with his children and the results are priceless – super cute photos of William stifling his laughter while his brother Harry chuckles.
Charles was assisting photographer Tim Graham at the home shoot, which took place at Kensington Palace shortly after Harry's first birthday; William was aged three. Seeing a relaxed and off-duty Charles was a sweet change to the formality of his public appearances.
Charles tries to get his sons to smile and laugh
The photos released in the eighties showed William and Harry tinkling the ivories while their mum Princess Diana proudly watched on. Other snaps showed the royal brothers sitting on rocking horses, while a particularly sweet one was of William helping Harry walk. Diana featured in more snaps, playing a game with her firstborn.
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The adorable home photo shoot took place in 1985
The late Princess was adamant that William and Harry had as normal a childhood as possible. The boys were educated at Jane Mynors' nursery school and the pre-preparatory Wetherby School, and instead of following in the royal family's tradition to send their children to Gordonstoun boarding school in Scotland, Charles and Diana opted for nearby Eton.
The Princess also made sure that her boys had similar experiences to other youngsters their age. She would take them to McDonald's and Disney World and let them play video games. Royal chef Darren McGrady, who worked for Diana for four years until her death in 1997, has previously given an insight on the boys' mealtimes.
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Speaking about Diana's parenting, Darren told HELLO!: "She wasn't strict at all. She let them be boys, young boys! There was always a battle between her and Nanny. Nanny would say, 'No, they're eating their dinner, they're having cabbage. And the Princess would say, 'No, if they're with me and they want loaded potato skins and fried chicken then they can have that. And if they don't eat it and they still want pudding, they can have that too!' She was much more relaxed than Nanny."
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