Kensington Palace Releases Gorgeous Kate Middleton Birthday Photo—and a Beautiful Message from Her Husband

It’s tradition for members of the royal family to wish each other a happy birthday, publicly or otherwise. Even Kate Middleton secretly called her estranged brother-in-law, Prince Harry, when he turned 40. And now, it’s time for the Princess of Wales to celebrate another year around the sun.

Today, Kensington Palace shared a gorgeous photo on Instagram in honor of Princess Catherine’s 43rd birthday—and it came with a beautiful message from her husband, Prince William.

The image shows Catherine standing with her hands in her pockets, with her long beachy waves on display and donning a gingham scarf.

The brand-new birthday portrait of Princess Catherine was taken by photographer Matt Porteous. And it was accompanied by some beautiful words.

Prince William wrote in the Instagram caption, “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.”

How do we know it was a message from the future monarch himself? He signed it with his first initial, “W.”
As you can imagine, 2024 was quite the year for the Wales family. It all started when Kensington Palace released a statement revealing that Princess Catherine had undergone an unannounced abdominal surgery.

She broke her post-surgery silence by sharing a never-before-seen photo featuring herself and her three kids. It didn’t take long for questions to arise about whether the family photo was Photoshopped, prompting the Princess of Wales to release a personal statement to clear up any confusion.

Then, Princess Catherine flew under the radar for a few weeks, causing rumors to surface about a potential “disappearance.” In March 2024, the royal released a heartbreaking video confirming that she’s been diagnosed with cancer.

Sending all the best to Princess Catherine on her birthday!