Overview
- Royal Museums Greenwich said a deep partial solar eclipse crossed the UK on Wednesday, August 12, with the moon blocking up to about 96% of the sun at peak.
- That evening James Middleton posted an Instagram photograph showing his two-year-old son Inigo seated outdoors with the family’s golden retrievers and the caption: “Solar Eclipse 2026. A strange, beautiful few minutes…”
- The Instagram image circulated widely in UK media and social feeds and prompted many followers to praise Middleton’s photography and the candid family moment.
- Thousands of people gathered in parks, on beaches and at beauty spots between roughly 6pm and 8:15pm to watch the once-in-a-generation partial eclipse.
- The event was a deep partial eclipse rather than a total one, and experts say the next comparable deep partial visible from the UK is expected in 2050 with the next UK total eclipse not due until 2090.