Prince William Releases a Touching Personal Message to Kate Middleton on Her Birthday
Prince William wished his wife a happy birthday today in a touching personal message after an extremely challenging year. The message, posted on Instagram and X, was shared alongside a new photograph of Kate taken by Matt Porteous in Windsor last summer.
“To the most incredible wife and mother. The strength you’ve shown over the last year has been remarkable,” the message read. “George, Charlotte, Louis and I are so proud of you. Happy Birthday Catherine. We love you, W.”
Royal family members don’t often issue personal messages on social media for birthdays. A more usual way of sending the greeting publicly is a message like the one posted by the royal family's main account to Kate today. It wishes her happy birthday alongside an existing photograph. However, William’s post follows Kate’s decision on his birthday in June to write a personal message and release a new picture. Along with the intimate video they released in September, it is an example of William and Kate being more publicly affectionate with each other throughout this particularly difficult year.
Happy Birthday to The Princess of Wales! 🎂 pic.twitter.com/AaLOjsbOPn
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) January 9, 2025
When the Princess turned 42 last January, she was just days away from having major surgery that would lead to a shock cancer diagnosis and months of chemotherapy. In the 12 months that followed she retreated from the public eye to focus on her recovery. Her return to work is expected to continue to be gradual, and remains unclear when she will next appear publicly. However, Prince William told reporters last year that she would hopefully “be doing a bit more” in 2025.
The Wales family spent the Christmas holidays at their Norfolk home Anmer Hall but headed back to Windsor in time for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis to return to Lambrook School this week. The last time Kate was in the public eye was on Christmas Day when she joined the royal family walking to church in Sandringham. Prior to that, she had appeared at her Christmas carol concert on December 6, part of the State Visit at from the Emir of Qatar on December 3, and events for Remembrance Sunday in November.
A poll for the Mail on Sunday this week showed that the British public largely support her gradual return. It found that 47 per cent of Britons believe that there is too much pressure on Kate to return to normal royal duties, while a smaller 29 per cent thought it was reasonable to expect her to do so.
Princess Anne is back at work today carrying out engagements, and Prince Edward is representing the King at the funeral of President Jimmy Carter.
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