Kate Middleton shares new family photo with unusually personal message to William

The Princess of Wales sent a personal message to Prince William as he celebrates his 42nd birthday today with a fun photo of him with his three children jumping over sand dunes

The Princess of Wales has shared a touching unseen photo of Prince William and their three children to mark his 42nd birthday with a highly personal message.

The picture shows William with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis jumping over sand dunes with the message: “Happy birthday Papa, we all love you so much! Cx”, which means it is a personal message from Kate. The photo, shared on social media, was taken last month by Kate while the family were in Norfolk. In the fun snap William beams at the camera as he holds the hands of Charlotte and Louis, with George holding Louis’ hand, as they leap into the air, all pulling delighted faces.

Kate shared the photo along with a sweet message for her husband ( 
Image:
Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)
It came the morning after William, president of the FA, was pictured alongside Denmark’s King Frederick as England drew 1-1 with Denmark in Frankfurt, Germany, in their second match of Euro 2024.

Meanwhile, William’s father King Charles also took to social media to wish his son a Happy Birthday this morning. On the Royal Family account, he posted a throwback photo of a baby William sitting on his dad’s lap with Charles beaming at his young son. It was followed with the message: “Happy Birthday to The Prince of Wales!”

William’s birthday today comes as after he has faced a difficult 12 months following the cancer diagnoses of both his father the King and his wife Kate. Despite his hardships, royal commentator Ingrid Seward has said the past year has been the making of William, and that his mother, the late Princess Diana, would be proud. Speaking to the Mirror, Ingrid said: “It has been one of the most difficult couple of years of Prince William’s life.”

William and Kate at Trooping the Colour last weekend ( 
Image:
Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)
Ingrid continued: “William is sensitive, he likes structure and has perseverance. He does not give up easily. His relationship with brother Harry upset him more than he would care to admit. But he found it easier to cut ties rather than allow himself to be continually annoyed.

“His life with Kate gives him the security, love and friendship he needs. He doesn’t dwell upon the loss of his mother but knows the feeling of hurt will never go away completely.” Ingrid says the events of the past year have brought William and Charles closer, as they both grieve the loss of the late Queen, while William has also learnt a lot more from his father as he prepares to be the next King.

“They have clashed about many issues,” Ingrid added. “They still disagree but it is more constructive than it ever was. But just as things were going so well for the Prince and Princess of Wales, the hammer blow fell. His father got cancer and Kate had a serious abdominal operation. Later to announce she too had to have cancer treatment. William played both mother and father to the children while he carried on with his royal duties supporting the Queen in his father’s absence. The traumas of the past year have made him a stronger person. He has become the kind of man Diana always hoped he would be. Kind considerate and able to take on whatever life throws at him.”

Prince William with King Frederik of Denmark at the England v Denmark game in the Euros last night ( 
Image:
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Prince William Arthur Philip Louis of Wales was born second in line to the throne at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, at 9.03pm on June 21 1982. He weighed 7lb 1 1/2oz and was the first-born son of the then-Prince and the Princess of Wales. At just nine months old, he accompanied his parents on a six-week official visit to Australia and New Zealand, which was a break from tradition with royal babies usually left at home in the care of nannies.

His mother Diana, who separated from the then-Prince of Wales in 1992, died in a car crash in Paris in 1997. William was just 15 and his brother Prince Harry 12, and the boys walked behind the princess’s coffin during a funeral procession through London. The prince met Kate Middleton at St Andrews University in Fife, and the pair married at Westminster Abbey in 2011 after dating for more than eight years. They welcomed their first child George in 2013, followed by Charlotte in 2015, and then Louis in 2018

After the death of the late Queen in 2022, the King announced in his first historic address that he had made William and Kate the new Prince and Princess of Wales. William has a long-running rift with his brother the Duke of Sussex, with no sign yet of a reconciliation.

The fallout originated ahead of Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle, now the Duchess of Sussex, and worsened after the accusations Harry publicly levelled at his brother in his double tell-alls: his Netflix documentary and his memoir Spare. When their joint friend the Duke of Westminster married in Chester Cathedral earlier this month, William acted as an usher, but Harry mutually agreed with the groom that he would not attend.

Since his last birthday, William has launched Homewards, his five-year drive to eradicate homelessness in six locations around the UK. His other key focuses include raising mental health awareness, and the Earthshot Prize, his £50 million environmental competition to find solutions to help the planet.