Prince William begins summer break with Princess Kate and their children

As he begins a long summer break this week, the Prince of Wales will be breathing a sigh of relief.

He and his family have lived through an extraordinarily difficult six months, but there are signs that 42-year-old Prince William is finally starting to be able to relax.

His birthday in June was marked by the release of a joyous and refreshingly informal new image of him with his three children – Prince George , ten, Princess Charlotte , nine, and Prince Louis , six – leaping over a sand dune in Norfolk as his wife the Princess lay in wait with her camera.

And the Prince delighted football fans with some ebullient cheering and punching of the air as England went through to the final of this month's UEFA Euro 2024 championships in Berlin after the Three Lions defeated the Netherlands.

© The Princess of Wales

Royal author Robert Jobson tells HELLO!: "William seems more relaxed and at one with himself than we have seen in a while. He loves the football, so seeing him celebrate is not unusual – but it was just so passionate."

While George and William were left heartbroken by the final result of the Euro final, with England defeated by Spain 2-1, the Prince and Princess sent a heartfelt message of support to the Three Lions, telling the squad that their "teamwork, grit and determination were an inspiration to all of us, young and old".

And as Gareth Southgate announced his resignation as England manager, William thanked him for being an "all-round class act" .

LISTEN: Inside the royals' love of sport

Out and about

A fortnight earlier, the Prince had shared a photograph of himself with George and Charlotte meeting Taylor Swift and her boyfriend Travis Kelce before one of the singer’s sold- out Wembley shows.

© The Prince and Princess of Wales

He was later spotted in a box in the arena showing off some energetic "dad dancing" to her hit single Shake It Off.

"The fact that he's able to release a picture like that shows how relaxed he is," says Robert, the author of new biography Catherine, the Princess of Wales. "He's confident, he's happy and he's comfortable that he's able to do what he wants to do.”

Carrying out engagements in London, Windsor and Wales last week, the Prince looked full of focus after navigating a tricky first half of the year, during which both his wife Kate and his father the King were diagnosed with cancer .

© Getty

"It hit him like a bolt out of the blue, but now he's been able to settle down and get on with the job," Robert tells us. Of William and Kate, he adds: "I think they will be looking forward to a nice holiday together as a family, and I'm sure they'll spend some time in Norfolk, at the beach.

"They knew they would only get limited time in this role, where they can enjoy their children. As soon as they become King and Queen, they really are public property."

© Getty

A source close to the heir to the throne said: "As ever, the Prince has put his family first, balancing looking after his wife and children with continuing to undertake work.

"His commitment to his work over the past six months has really shown the strength of his character, going out and continuing to get it done when things were so tough."

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