Kate Middleton Breaks With Tradition for Family Photo Marking Prince William’s Birthday

To celebrate Prince William’s 42nd birthday, Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, turned to the whimsical, posting a fun photo she took of her husband and their three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6.

In the photo, the four are holding hands, leaping over a sand dune at the beach, arms in the air and mouths agape. The image was shared on the Prince and Princess of Wales’ official Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) accounts on Friday morning, June 21, with the caption, “Happy Birthday, Papa, we all love you so much! Cx”

As a self-described amateur photographer, Middleton is known to snap pictures of the family and post for different occasions throughout the year. This latest photo compliments the pair’s Father’s Day post earlier this month, which showed William and the children also standing on a beach, facing away from the camera, their arms around one another as they look out onto the water. The family is wearing different outfits in each post, though, despite the similar setting.

The fun-filled birthday post comes after the family was seen together in public for the first time in months at the annual Trooping the Colour on Saturday, June 15. Following the parade, the Prince and Princess of Wales, along with their children, joined King Charles III and Queen Camilla to observe the Royal Air Force (RAF) flypast on the Buckingham Palace balcony. Their youngest son Louis was seen both dancing and yawning. The Trooping the Colour is one of the only events of the year that the whole family is present, and they showed up looking unified.

Middleton’s appearance at the event, also known as The King’s Birthday Parade, marked her return to the spotlight after stepping away from public-facing duties since December 2023.

In a video message released on March 22, the Princess of Wales revealed she had been diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer following a planned abdominal surgery in January, and that she was undergoing a course of "preventative chemotherapy."

Before the announcement, Middleton was the subject of circling rumors and conspiracy theories regarding her whereabouts, catching the interest of onlookers around the world.

As Colonel of the Irish Guards, Middleton had originally been set to attend the final rehearsal to the Trooping the Colour—also known as the Colonel’s Review—but could not attend as she continued to deal with her health issues, issuing an apology and offering thanks to the Irish Guards.

Ahead of her official attendance at Trooping the Colour, Middleton released a personal note to the public, where she shared that her treatment is ongoing and she is “not out of the woods yet,” but is hoping to attend more public engagements over the summer.