Kate Middleton shares unseen picture with mum Carole on 'difficult' Mother's Day

She has been a supportive presence throughout daughter Kate Middleton’s time in the royal spotlight.

Now the Duchess of Cambridge, 38, has paid tribute to mum Carole, 65, on Mother’s Day with an adorable unseen picture of the pair.

In a post on their @kensingtonroyal Instagram account, the mum-of-three and Prince William, 37, marked the occasion - which they note as “difficult” this year - by sharing a series of family snaps.

They began with an image of the couple giving son Prince George, six, and daughter Princess Charlotte, four, a piggyback ride in the grounds of their Norfolk country home.

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The next picture was a portrait of the Duke of Cambridge’s mum Princess Diana with him and brother Prince Harry as children.

Following on in the carousel was a snap of Carole cradling a baby Kate in her arms.

Finally, was a picture of an adorable artwork George had painted his mum for this Mother’s Day.

Captioning the post - shared with their 11.3m followers - they made reference to the current coronavirus crisis and Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s warning for people not to make trips to visit their parents today.

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Kate and William - who are also parents to one-year-old son Prince Louis - wrote: “To mothers new and old and families spending today together and apart – we are thinking of you all at this difficult time.

“Happy Mother’s Day.”

The post was well-received by royals fans who left more than 43,000 ‘likes’.

One person commented: “Such lovely pictures. Happy Mother’s Day.”

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Another wrote: “This really made me smile but also tugged at the heartstrings. Love to all the mums out there.”

A third shared: “Stay safe.”

And a fourth added: “Fabulous photos thanks so much for sharing them with us.”

It comes as the duke and duchess carried out a private visit to the London Ambulance Centre in Croydon this week.

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The royal couple met with staff who have been taking NHS 111 calls from the public, with the centre receiving at least five times the usual rate of people ringing up.

For the visit, Kate wore a rose-hued suit from Marks & Spencer’s Autograph collection.

The Wool Blend Double Breasted Blazer retails for £99, while the coordinating Wool Blend Slim Leg Cropped Trousers cost £59.

To finish off her look, the duchess wore a plain white T-Shirt and a pair of metallic Hugo Boss heels.

In an Instagram post to mark the engagement, the the duke told their followers: “All of us have a part to play if we’re going to protect the most vulnerable.

“That means acting on the latest expert advice, staying home if we or those we live with have symptoms, and avoiding non-essential contact to help reduce the spread of the virus.”