Kate Middleton and Prince William Quietly Updated Their Social Media Photos Overnight — Here’s the Meaning Behind It

The Prince and Princess of Wales have quietly updated their social media pages

Kate Middleton and Prince William have made a subtle but meaningful update online to mark a solemn moment in the royal calendar.

As of Nov. 13, the Prince and Princess of Wales refreshed the photos on their official Instagram and X accounts, swapping in new images to commemorate Remembrance.

Remembrance Day — the U.K.’s equivalent of Veterans Day — honors the sacrifices of those who served in the Armed Forces across Britain and the Commonwealth every Nov. 11.

The royal family has deep military ties: Queen Elizabeth’s father King George VI, King Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry all served, and it falls to the monarch to lead the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph each Remembrance Sunday, one of the most solemn days of the year.

In recent years, it has become a modern digital tradition for royal households to update the photos on their social media accounts to reflect the mood of Remembrance, and King Charles followed suit with his own online change last week.

Kate Middleton and Prince William’s Instagram handle.Prince and Princess of Wales/Instagram

The images usually remain in place for a few days, creating a deliberate digital tribute.

A look at the Prince and Princess of Wales’ Instagram account and their Kensington Royal page on X shows that their profile photos now feature a shot of the couple at the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in November 2024.

The Prince and Princess of Wales both wore dark attire accented with red poppies — the historic symbol of Remembrance — and Prince William displayed his military medals.

Kate Middleton and Prince William’s Twitter page.Prince and Princess of Wales/X

Their cover photo on X was also changed to a field of red poppies in a poignant tribute.

The red flower has been used to honor U.K. and Commonwealth military personnel who have died in wars since 1921 and is believed to come from the poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae, which is about World War I. The opening stanza reads:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place, and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

Kate Middleton during the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in London on Nov. 9, 2025; Prince William during the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in London on Nov. 9, 2025.Press Association via AP Images

The Prince and Princess of Wales, both 43, had their poppies on for the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph on Nov. 9, where the couple joined King Charles and Queen Camilla in honoring the fallen.

The day prior, Princess Kate brought Prince George to the Festival of Remembrance, where the 12-year-old made his surprise debut at the poignant event.

Prince George and Kate Middleton attend The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance event at Royal Albert Hall on Nov. 8, 2025.JACK TAYLOR/POOL/AFP via Getty

A palace insider told PEOPLE that the Prince and Princess of Wales are taking a “slow game” approach, introducing their son to royal duties on their terms.