A photo of Princess Kate and her three children is in the running to win the annual UK Picture Editors Guild Awards, with the picture depicting the family at the VE Day celebrations in May 2025.
Kate and her kids, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, were snapped standing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace and watching the Red Arrows flypast on the special day, which marked 80 years since Nazi Germany officially surrendered World War II in 1945.
The foursome leaned over to see the military planes during the procession on May 5. Also in attendance at the event were Prince William, King Charles, Queen Camilla, Princess Anne, Sir Timothy Laurence, Prince Edward, and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh.
© UK Press via Getty ImagesThe photo has been shortlisted in the UK Picture Editors Guild Awards
Prince George and his younger brother looked smart in matching navy suits with blue ties, while Charlotte wore a blue-green coat and matching dress. Kate looked stunning in a burgundy Emilia Wickstead coatdress, paired with a Jane Taylor pillbox hat and beige heels.
The procession saw 1,300 members of the Armed Forces march from Whitehall to Buckingham Palace. The royal family then hosted a tea party for war veterans and their families inside the palace walls. The sweet moment on the balcony was a poignant reminder of VE Day in 1945, after Prince William’s great-grandfather, King George VI, announced over the radio that the Allied Powers had been victorious in World War II.
At the time, the King, the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth II and her sister, Princess Margaret, stepped out onto the Buckingham Palace balcony to celebrate the good news, alongside Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
© Chris Jackson/Getty ImagesThe family of five attended the VE Day celebrations
King Charles reflected on his grandfather’s words during a concert at Horse Guards Parade on May 8, during a speech given 80 years to the hour after George’s address. “His words echo down through history as…we unite to celebrate and remember, with an unwavering and heartfelt gratitude, the service and sacrifice of the wartime generation who made that hard-fought victory possible,” Charles said.
See another sweet moment from the VE Day celebration below…
WATCH: William, George and Louis play guessing game during VE Day flypast
“While our greatest debt is owed to all those who paid the ultimate price, we should never forget how the war changed the lives of virtually everyone.” The photo of Kate and her kids was chosen by a panel of judges, with 20 others in the running to win the coveted prize. The award is voted on by the public, and the winner will be announced on June 30.
Other royal members made the cut in the competition, including King Charles and Princess Anne. A photo of the King speaking to the 101-year-old World War II veteran Ruth Barnwell at the tea party during the VE Day celebrations was also shortlisted, as was a picture of Anne encountering a pair of sleeping farmers during the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh.
© Getty ImagesA photo of King Charles chatting with war veteran Ruth Barnwell was shortlisted
The shortlist also includes several poignant pictures illustrating major moments in 2025, including the aftermath of the terrorist attack at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester in October.
© PA Images via Getty ImagesA snap of Rory McIlroy also made the cut
A photo of golf star Rory McIlroy celebrating after winning the Ryder Cup was also included, as was a snap of Larry the Cat at 10 Downing Street during Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Rounding out the list was a photo of 89-year-old Ursula Pethick being arrested at the Palestine Action protest in August, and a picture taken at Pope Francis’ funeral.