Here's why Prince William and Kate Middleton chose not to post Princess Charlotte’s birthday portrait on social media

The Cambridges are one of the most talked-about families in the world, but while the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spend the most time in front of the cameras, it’s their children that really steal the limelight.

From Princess Charlotte’s signature sass and Prince George’s cheeky grin to Prince Louis' love for interrupting Zoom calls), these miniature royals make non-stop headlines.

The Cambridge children make the most news on their birthdays, when an official portrait is released of them, by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge via their social media accounts.

While traditionally these have been taken by an official royal photographer, the Duchess of Cambridge, a lover of photography, opts to take her children's official photographs herself.

This past weekend saw Princess Charlotte turn six, but while the Duke and Duchess did release an official portrait of their daughter, they chose not to post it on social media for the first time ever.

The reason behind the break from tradition? Prince William's involvement in a social media boycott over the weekend, with the Duke announcing on Friday:

'This weekend we join the football community in the UK in uniting for a social media boycott from 3pm on Friday 30 April to 11.59pm on Monday 3 May, in response to the sustained abuse received online by players and many others in the football community.'

Well, that's that.

Thankfully other royal family members posted Princess Charlotte's sweet photograph on social media so it still got all the attention it deserved.

Happy birthday to Princess Charlotte!