Prince William Just Shared the Sweetest Birthday Message for Kate Middleton

Prince William shared a heartfelt birthday message to his wife this morning.

The Prince of Wales took to social media to wish the Princess of Wales a happy 43rd birthday, sharing a touching message highlighting Kate’s strength over a challenging year:

“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.”

William signed off his message with his initial, “W”, to show he personally authored the post.

Prince William personal tribute accompanied a photo of the Princess, previously unseen by the public but snapped by royal favourite photographer, Matt Porteous last summer at Windsor.

The black-and-white photograph captures a relaxed and natural Kate wearing a tailored blazer over a blouse paired with jeans and a checked scarf. The Princess, who wears a loose curl in her hair, looks casual and sophisticated. Kate’s outfit is completed with her famous sparkling sapphire ring.

Matt Porteous is no stranger to the Wales family. Known for his candid and intimate style, Porteous has captured several key moments for William and Kate over the years, including christening portraits and family photos.

William’s tribute comes after a difficult year for Kate. In mid-January, the Princess was admitted to hospital where she had ‘planned abdominal surgery’.

By February, royal fans began to speculate about Kate’s health, peaking at the end of the month when William had to drop out of a royal engagement due to a “personal matter”. Conspiracy theories began to circulate, with even many wondering that something terrible had happened to Kate, or that there had been a cover-up for something more sinister.

In March, Kate was photographed for the first time since December, riding in a car with her mother, Carol. Instead of quashing rumours, this added fuel to the fire with sleuths saying a Kate “look-a-like” had been hired to stage the photo.

On the 10th of March, the Prince and Princess shared a lovely family photo to mark Mother’s Day. I imagine the couple hoped this’d bring all the internet rumours to an end. Sadly, it spectacularly backfired.

The image displayed a number of inconsistencies and it was clear it had been edited and manipulated. Several international news agencies noticed and they retracted the image. The internet rumours reached fever pitch and spilled into the real world too with major media outlets carrying coverage about Kate, the photo and the conspiracy theories.

The Princess released a statement confirming that she’d photoshopped the image herself, which seemed pretty logical to me (if you’ve ever taken a family photo, you’ll know it’s pretty impossible to get all three kids looking the same way at once!)

Amid the furore, it was revealed that three members of hospital staff were under investigation for trying to access Kate’s medical records—presumably to dispel or give credence to the rumours and theories widely circulating online—which must have been distressing for the Princess too.

The hysteria shows no sign of slowing down. Twelve days after the release of the Mother’s Day photo, Kate speaks out. She reveals that cancer “was present” during her surgery. She confirms she’s undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

By June, Kate shares that she’s making “good progress” with her treatment, but is “not out of the woods yet”. She reveals she has “good days and bad days”. She attends Trooping the Colour, her first public engagement of 2024. A month later, she attends Wimbledon and presents the men’s final trophy.

Kate confirmed her treatment had ended in September 2024 and she began to very gradually resume public engagements, conducting several public engagements in October, November and December.

By the end of the year, the Palace announced Kate plans to continue taking on more engagements in 2025, including overseas visits.

Happy Birthday Princess!