Prince William celebrated his wife Kate Middleton’s 43rd birthday with a heartfelt message.
Taking to the couple’s social media, William highlighted Kate’s resilience in facing her cancer diagnosis and treatment.
“To the most incredible wife and mother,” he wrote on social media on Thursday (January 9).
“The strength you’ve shown over the last year has been remarkable. George, Charlotte, Louis, and I are so proud of you. Happy Birthday, Catherine.”
Prince William shared an emotional message to celebrate his wife Kate Middleton’s 43rd birthday
Image credits: Danny Lawson/Getty Images
“We love you. W,” he closed the message.
He accompanied the post with a black and white portrait of Kate taken by Matt Porteous in Windsor last summer.
After a challenging year, the Princess of Wales is reportedly celebrating with her loved ones at Adelaide Cottage, the Wales’ family home.
The couple share three children: Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, who will be joining the family celebrations.
The royal family’s official social media accounts also posted a birthday message. “Happy Birthday to The Princess of Wales! 🎂,” King Charles and Queen Camilla’s account wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) alongside a photo of her smiling during the Christmas day service.
Image credits: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
The King and Queen of England and Kate’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, are expected to join the princess for an intimate, family-filled dinner, says King Charles’ former personal butler Grant Harrold.
“I have no doubt that the King and Queen will have a dinner for her at some point, either at Clarence House or Highgrove, as the King is quite good at that kind of thing.
“William will be making sure there is a nice meal and some gifts, and it will be celebrated with the children, who will, of course, want to celebrate with her.”
Harrold, who worked for the king for seven years, believes Kate’s brother-in-law, Prince Harry, and his wife, Meghan Markle, will send her a message on her big day.
William praised his wife’s “strength” after facing a cancer diagnosis and treatment
Image credits: The Prince and Princess of Wales
The couple has reportedly been estranged from Prince William and Kate since stepping down as senior working royals and moving to California in 2020.
“I think Harry and Meghan will reach out to wish her happy birthday,” the former royal staffer says.
“I always get the impression that despite the damage within the family, I still think they would reach out to each other.”
Kate returned to her royal duties after announcing in September that she had completed chemotherapy treatment for an undisclosed type of cancer.
Image credits: The Prince and Princess of Wales
In a highly personal video, she described the past year as “incredibly tough.”
“Doing what I can to stay cancer-free is now my focus. Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long, and I must continue to take each day as it comes.
“Despite all that has gone before, I enter this new phase of recovery with a renewed sense of hope and appreciation of life.”
Kate said she looked forward to “undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months” while prioritizing her health and recovery.
Kate is spending her birthday at Adelaide Cottage, the Wales’ family home, with her husband and three children
Image credits: The Prince and Princess of Wales
Image credits: Samir Hussein/Getty Images
Since then, she has participated in different public events, including in November when she honored the fallen British and Commonwealth armed services members on Remembrance weekend.
She also greeted well-wishers on Christmas Day as the family walked to and from church at Sandringham, Norfolk.
The princess announced in March 2024 that she was undergoing treatment for cancer. Two months earlier, she had undergone a planned abdominal surgery.
Image credits: The Prince and Princess of Wales
“George, Charlotte, Louis, and I are so proud of you. Happy Birthday, Catherine,” William wrote
Happy Birthday to The Princess of Wales! 🎂 pic.twitter.com/AaLOjsbOPn
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) January 9, 2025
To the most incredible wife and mother. The strength you’ve shown over the last year has been remarkable. George, Charlotte, Louis and I are so proud of you. Happy Birthday, Catherine. We love you. W pic.twitter.com/VIW5v2aKlu
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) January 9, 2025
Although she has completed chemotherapy, the princess remains cautious about jumping to conclusions regarding her health.
“We are being encouraged not to look at this as a chapter that’s over, and then it’s back to normal because cancer doesn’t work like that,” Robert Hardman, author of The Making of a King: Charles III and the Modern Monarchy, recently told People.
“The details remain private, but there’s no getting over the reality that it’s an unpredictable disease. The clue is in her phrase ‘one day at a time’ — that’s how she’s going to approach it.”
People sent their birthday messages to the Princess of Wales
Image credits: tanyapoulter
Image credits: brontecottage
Image credits: Chamaerion
Image credits: RoCoGB
Image credits: LeescoLee3
Image credits: BowDarrow
Image credits: Islablonde
Image credits: Clementine22119
Image credits: according2_taz
Image credits: mari_2527
Image credits: cambridgepower
Image credits: MilenaSchillerN
English (US) ·