Royal fans face wait for Charlotte birthday pictures as Cambridges back football supporters' social media blackout
Watch: William joins football’s social media boycott over abuse
Prince William has announced he will be joining in the boycott of social media this weekend, as football clubs seek stronger action against racism and abuse online.
In a Twitter post from his Kensington Royal account, William wrote: "As President of the FA I join the entire football community in the social media boycott this weekend."
It was signed "W" which indicates a personal tweet.
However it raises some questions for royal fans who would usually be expecting new pictures of his daughter Charlotte on Sunday.
The young princess will be turning six on 2 May, and the Cambridge family often release images of their children, in recent years taken by the Duchess of Cambridge, to celebrate their big day.
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The boycott takes place from 3pm on Saturday until Monday.
It's been backed by a coalition of English football’s largest governing bodies and organisations, including the FA, the Premier League and many women's football organisations.
In January William, 38, criticised racist abuse in football, saying it "must stop", and calling it "despicable".
He said everyone has "a responsibility to create an environment where such abuse is not tolerated, and those who choose to spread hate and division are held accountable for their actions".
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Royal fans have got used to the release of new images of the Cambridge children on the eve of their birthdays, with the duchess usually the one behind the camera.
Last week, the day before Prince Louis turned three, a new picture was released of the toddler on his balance bike before his first day at nursery.
William and his wife Kate also shared portraits of themselves this week, which were taken for their 10th wedding anniversary.
The images are released through newspapers and websites too, so the photos may simply not appear on the couple's social media pages until the end of the boycott.
Charlotte, whose full name is Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, after her great-grandmother and her late grandmother, was born on 2 May 2015, at the Lindo Wing in St Mary's Hospital.
She attends Thomas's Battersea, the same school as her older brother Prince George.
Watch: William and Kate release family video to mark 10th wedding anniversary
