Kate Middleton and Prince William mark Valentine's Day with candid romantic picture - and the caption says it all

Prince William and Kate have marked Valentine’s Day with a candid romantic picture and their simple caption says all you need to know.

The Royal Family will never fully step away from official, posed photos but the Prince and Princess of Wales in particular have favoured a more informal approach to pictures - especially in recent years. From Prince William’s action shot birthday picture last year to the intimate family portrait the Waleses chose for their Christmas card photo, Kate and Prince William have been showcasing their special moments in a deeply personal way.

They don’t usually tend to mark Valentine’s Day, but this year they made an exception and their candid romantic picture is everything fans could’ve hoped for. Just like their Christmas card photo, it's a still from the video shot by Will Warr that was released alongside the future Queen’s message in September that confirmed she had completed her cancer treatment.

This snap shows her and Prince William sitting together in a forest near Anmer Hall in Norfolk, hands entwined and him kissing her cheek. Kate is beaming with happiness and the couple couldn’t be sitting closer together on the brown checked blanket. They're dressed in casual clothes, including Kate's beloved Veja trainers and William's polo shirt, which highlight the off-duty, personal feel of the picture.

As with all of the moments captured in Will’s video, this is a precious snapshot of togetherness during the warmer months when the Prince and Princess of Wales were out in nature and enjoying private time away from the public eye.

In Kate’s message she spoke of the profound reminder that the two of them had during the challenging last year, describing how love is, ultimately, everything.

"This time has above all reminded William and me to reflect and be grateful for the simple yet important things in life, which so many of us often take for granted. Of simply loving and being loved," the Princess declared.

The Prince and Princess of Wales’s caption - a red heart emoji - reflects this. Alongside the sweet candid snap of the couple together, it really says it all and no words were needed to describe the pure love that shone through here. Prince William and Kate, who announced in January that she is now in remission, will be celebrating their 14th wedding anniversary in April.

They traditionally share either a new picture or a wedding day snap and we wouldn’t be surprised if they chose another heartfelt still image from Will’s video to post this year. Prince William and Kate’s decision to share a rare picture for Valentine’s Day is so special and it’s not known if they have any plans to celebrate this day of romance outside of this.

Prince George, Charlotte and Louis’s school half-term break begins on 14th February so it’s possible that instead of planning a separate date night, they could just spend the evening quietly at home at Adelaide Cottage.

Shop Kate's Veja Trainers

However, Prince William has reportedly arranged for flowers for Kate in the past and it’s possible that he has more in mind as in their 2010 engagement interview she explained that her husband is a "true romantic" at heart.

Prince William had carefully considered his proposal and explained, "It was about three weeks ago on holiday in Kenya. We had a little private time away together with some friends. And I just decided that it was the right time really. We’d been talking about marriage for a while, so it wasn’t a massively big surprise, but I took her up somewhere nice in Kenya and proposed."

"It was very romantic, there’s a true romantic in there," Kate responded, showing how much his thought and attention had meant to her.