Prince William has just turned 43, and his wife, Kate, has taken to Instagram to honor him.
The Princess of Wales posted a photograph of the Prince and three gamboling cocker spaniel pups.
She captioned the update “Happy birthday! Love C, G, C, L, Orla and the puppies!”—the initials referring to herself, their eldest son George, their daughter Charlotte, the youngest of their brood, Louis, and the royal hound, Orla.
Highlights
- Prince William just turned 43, and his wife celebrated it in a special way.
- It comes after he dubbed 2024 a “dreadful” year.
- Kate Middleton also turned 43 in January this year.
The picture has been met with great fanfare.
William’s birthday marks a challenging past year
Image credits: The Prince and Princess of Wales
Racking up 460,148 likes in the first 11 hours, the photo also drew a slew of well-wishers.
“Happy Birthday! I see you've got the greatest gift already – the love of your family – and your pups,” wrote one.
“Wishing you a Very Happy Birthday Prince William, rock on with our love from the whole team,” echoed another.
Image credits: The Prince and Princess of Wales
“You did amazing. This year must’ve been really tough on you,” remarked a third in a sentiment shared by the royal family.
What the palace dismissed as “not cancer” turned out to be cancer indeed
Speaking to E!News in 2024, William, next in line for the throne, said that it had been a “dreadful” year for himself and his family.
Image credits: The Prince and Princess of Wales
In January 2024, his wife went under the knife for an abdominal procedure that the palace at the time claimed had nothing to do with cancer.
However, roughly two months after she was discharged from a London Clinic in January of the same year, she released a video to the press indicating that her medical status had changed, and yes, it was indeed cancer.
“This of course came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family,” Kate said in a later statement shared by the BBC.
King Charles was diagnosed with cancer in the very next month
Like Kate’s health hurdle was not enough, the monarchy was hit with a second spate of bad news in the very next month.
King Charles III was diagnosed in February 2024, just 17 months after his accession to the throne.
While he went as far as admitting that he had the illness and, in his case, it could be treated and not cured, he did not share just where on his anatomy the disease had struck.
Image credits: The Prince and Princess of Wales
The news was enough to draw his youngest son, Harry, back to the UK momentarily, despite the ongoing feud.
“[Charles] remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible,” the palace reported following his diagnosis.
Prince William described 2024 as “dreadful”
Image credits: The Prince and Princess of Wales
In the interview on November 7, 2024, William opened up and said: “It's probably been the hardest year in my life.”
He went on to say that “trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult.”
“But I'm so proud of my wife, I'm proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done.”
Image credits: The Prince and Princess of Wales
Commentary on the royals around the time of the interview confirmed that Kate was doing a lot better than when the news first broke. A royal commentator noted that she had put on the weight she had lost earlier and returned to work.
William wrote a similar wish to his wife five months ago with maximum effect
William’s birthday follows five months after his wife’s. Kate turned 43 on January 9 this year and Bored Panda reported that the message he wrote for her tugged on netizens' heart strings.
Image credits: The Prince and Princess of Wales
“To the most incredible wife and mother,” he serenaded her.
“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,” before closing the message with: “We love you. W.”
The message was greeted with a flood of empathy, with many fans echoing his wishes.
The internet is swooning over the picture
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