Kate Middleton and Prince William Shared a New Photo You Probably Missed

The sneaky snap is hidden in plain sight.

Kate Middleton wearing a purple coat and hat and Prince William wearing a suit smiling at each other
(Image credit: Getty Images)

New photos of Princess Kate are few and far between these days as she continues to recover from cancer, but what most fans probably haven't realized is that the Prince and Princess of Wales quietly shared a new snapshot on their Instagram account not too long ago. Blink and you'll miss it, but at the top of their Instagram profile, the cover shot for their August highlight features a never-before-seen photo of the couple.

In the pic, the mom of three wears a navy blue Adidas polo that coordinates with William's light blue style, which is the same outfit he wore in their congratulatory video for Team GB after the Paris Olympics. Judging by the background of trailing roses and greens, the photo was taken in the exact same spot as their Olympics video, which raises a number of questions.

The pic appears to be taken mid-speech, based on the royal couple's expressions, leaving us to wonder if there was a secret first cut of the video that they decided not to use.

Kate Middleton and Prince William wearing blue polo shirts in a photo from their August Instagram account highlights

The Princess of Wales wore a navy Adidas polo in the snapshot.

(Image credit: The Prince and Princess of Wales/Instagram)

The Princess of Wales wore a classic Kate look in their August 11 Reel (which also starred 2024 Olympics darling Snoop Dogg), sporting a $128 Ralph Lauren Breton striped top. So did she originally match with William in Team GB polos and decide to change?

We've all been there after seeing a photo or video of ourselves and declaring we hate our outfit, so perhaps the royal was unhappy with the clip and asked to re-record it. It's also possible a second video was taped and never used, perhaps for another Team GB purpose?

Either way, we'll likely never know, but blue tops aside, their Paris Olympics video definitely caused a stir because it was the first time Prince William showed off his new beard. Since then he's gone on to rock the fan-favorite facial hair during appearances throughout September and October, including a joint engagement with fellow bearded Brit David Beckham.

As for Kate's navy polo, maybe we'll see it at another sporty event one day.

A screenshot of the Prince and Princess of Wales's Instagram account heading

The new photo is used as August's highlight cover.

(Image credit: The Prince and Princess of Wales/Instagram)
Kristin Contino
Senior Royal and Celebrity Editor

Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.”