What an adorable picture of Prince Archie — the one on every front page which his affectionate dad posted on Instagram for Father’s Day, the sepia image which showed his eyes, fingers, a bit of nose and, er, not much else.
Sadly, the rest was obscured by Prince Harry’s hand. As the nation squinted from every angle to see whether the infant conceivably had red hair or an upturned nose, it was apparent that this wasn’t a picture intended to gratify anyone’s curiosity.
So what was Harry up to, sharing a photo of his infant son, of whom the country has had barely a glimpse since his birth, in a way that doesn’t actually let you see him?
What was Harry up to, sharing a photo of his infant son, of whom the country has had barely a glimpse since his birth, in a way that doesn’t actually let you see him
In truth, as well as being undeniably cute, it’s another example of the tight control Harry and Meghan have kept over their son’s public profile. The details of his birth were confusing and contradictory, then he was hidden from view for days, before being exposed ever so briefly. If it wasn’t for a photographer politely requesting a minute twitch of the blanket, we really wouldn’t have seen him at all.
It’s natural for Harry to want to protect his son — and those artfully interposed royal fingers are a telling signal — but if he is going to put a picture of little Archie out there, how I wished he’d do it properly, or not at all.
Presumably, there will be Christening photos of Archie in full Windsor lace. And official pictures acknowledge that this family is a public one. But this half-image of Archie Mountbatten-Windsor is neither official nor private: just a little frustrating.
In model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s nicely posed image of a supermodel as mother-on-holiday, she’s holding her child, Jack Oscar, somewhere lovely without an ounce of baby weight in sight
Modern celebs (a group which, of course, includes Harry and Meghan) want you to know they’ve got a fabulous family home life — but they also want to keep the children out of public view. So you see a child from behind, or with face obscured, or hidden by a card. Just enough to push the message of perfection, but not enough to gratify the natural curiosity they’ve just whetted.
Look at the images here: celebrities on Instagram sharing — but not-quite-sharing — their happy home life. There’s British diver Tom Daley, his husband Dustin Lance Black and their son Robbie . . . except Tom’s holding the baby with his back to us.
There are Sir Elton John’s little boys, Zachary and Elijah, looking attentively at a picture of their dad in his prime — he’s the real focus of the photo. In model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s nicely posed image of a supermodel as mother-on-holiday, she’s holding her child, Jack Oscar, somewhere lovely without an ounce of baby weight in sight.
There’s British diver Tom Daley, his husband Dustin Lance Black and their son Robbie . . . except Tom’s holding the baby with his back to us
Holly Willoughby going one further, showing her face while her children — Harry, Belle and Chester — huddle out of view
Except her son is pressed to her chest with his face turned away, hidden beneath a hat. So, in this image of perfect motherhood the face of the child doesn’t actually feature. Or there’s Holly Willoughby going one further, showing her face while her children — Harry, Belle and Chester — huddle out of view.
In Robbie Williams’s family snap, the former Take That star is just about visible in profile against a backdrop of white sand and very blue sea while two of his children, eldest daughter Teddy and son Charlton, remain an enigma.
Meanwhile, Madonna’s ex-spouse, film director Guy Ritchie, elected to show his three youngest children — daughter Rivka and sons Rafael and Levi — holding up their Father’s Day cards in front of their faces . . . displaying images of themselves with their dad.
To parade them teasingly on a publicly accessible site — these photographs are all on Instagram — and then to go all coy about showing their faces . . . that’s having your cake and eating it. Pictured, Myleene Klass with her daughters Hero and Ava
There are Sir Elton John’s little boys, Zachary and Elijah, looking attentively at a picture of their dad in his prime — he’s the real focus of the photo
Look, no one disputes the right of celebs to keep their children away from public view, to protect their privacy.
But to parade them teasingly on a publicly accessible site — these photographs are all on Instagram — and then to go all coy about showing their faces . . . that’s having your cake and eating it.
So if Prince Harry actually wants to show off little Archie — and why wouldn’t he? — would it be too much to ask him to trust the public, and let us share in his obvious joy at being a new daddy, and enjoy Archie too?
In Robbie Williams’s family snap, the former Take That star is just about visible in profile against a backdrop of white sand and very blue sea while two of his children, eldest daughter Teddy and son Charlton, remain an enigma
Meanwhile, Madonna’s ex-spouse, film director Guy Ritchie, elected to show his three youngest children — daughter Rivka and sons Rafael and Levi — holding up their Father’s Day cards in front of their faces . . . displaying images of themselves with their dad