Kate Middleton Released a Sweet New Photo of Princess Charlotte for Her 6th Birthday

This evening, Kate Middleton and Prince William continued their annual tradition for their children’s birthdays, sharing a new photo of Princess Charlotte ahead of her turning six tomorrow. Strikingly, the couple did not post the photo on their Kensington Palace Instagram or Twitter. They just released it to press.

Charlotte appears in the photo, looking very grown up in a floral Rachel Riley dress. According to Hello!’s Emily Nash, Kate took the photo of Charlotte this week in Norfolk:

So why wasn’t the shot shared on Kate and William’s Instagram? The couple is boycotting social media this weekend to condemn online abuse in British sports. British sports teams all over the country are participating in the official boycott.

William announced his intentions to join on Twitter this Friday: “As President of the FA I join the entire football community in the social media boycott this weekend. W,” he wrote. William has spoken out previously about racism in the British soccer (called football in the UK) world. Some fans questioned then why Kate and William did not make any kind of public statement against the constant online and tabloid racism Meghan Markle endured as a working royal family member. Some royal watchers are asking the same thing now, as William takes a public stand again against online abuse in sports.

It’s unclear if Kate and William will share Charlotte’s photo on their social media on Monday after the boycott ends.

But they were generous before the boycott started: The couple offered another very rare glimpse into Charlotte’s life in the family video they shared on Friday in honor of their 10-year wedding anniversary. Charlotte’s older brother Prince George, 7, and younger brother Prince Louis, 3, appear too:

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