--- description: For Prince William's 42nd birthday, Kate Middleton posted a fun-filled photo of her family. title: Kate Middleton Marks Husband Prince William's Birthday image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0f3ad027f0bfbe72/698a57f9e6e84a965a2b3110/GettyImages-1731330708.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [royals](/tag/royals/) ## royals Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Kate Middleton Breaks With Tradition for Family Photo Marking Prince William's Birthday  by [Rebecca Schneid](/author/rebecca-schneid/)  ## Rebecca Schneid Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Reporter Jun 21, 2024 2:12 PM CUT  Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, and her husband Prince William are pictured here together in October 2023. Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, and her husband Prince William are pictured here together in October 2023.Chris Jackson—Getty Images  by [Rebecca Schneid](/author/rebecca-schneid/)  ## Rebecca Schneid Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Reporter Jun 21, 2024 2:12 PM CUT 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)](https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1804069216066146467 "undefined") 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](https://time.com/6989141/kate-middleton-photo-fathers-day-prince-william-children-update/ "undefined") 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](https://time.com/6989031/kate-middleton-prince-louis-internet-reactions-trooping-the-colour/ "undefined"). 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](https://time.com/6988998/kate-middleton-update-public-appearance-trooping-the-colour-cancer-treatment/ "undefined") event, also known as [The King’s Birthday Parade](https://time.com/6988837/trooping-the-colour-10-surprising-facts/ "undefined"), 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](https://time.com/6959909/kate-middleton-preventive-chemotherapy/ "undefined")." Before the announcement, Middleton was the subject of circling rumors and [conspiracy theories ](https://time.com/6959097/kate-middleton-conspiracy-theories-frenzy-archbishop-canterbury-warning/ "undefined")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](https://time.com/6986871/kate-middleton-latest-update-letter-irish-guards-absence-apology/ "undefined"), issuing an apology and offering thanks to the Irish Guards. Ahead of her official attendance at Trooping the Colour, Middleton[ released a personal note](https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1801660649333719231?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1801660649333719231%7Ctwgr%5Ec63348b25caf5cc74f1b196f56315b5ba799c82e%7Ctwcon%5Es1%5Fc10&ref%5Furl=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.time.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D6990563action%3Dedit "undefined") 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. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6990563/kate-middleton-photo-prince-william-birthday-family-celebration/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6990563/kate-middleton-photo-prince-william-birthday-family-celebration/"},"headline":"Kate Middleton Breaks With Tradition for Family Photo Marking Prince William's Birthday","datePublished":"2024-06-21T14:12:04.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T17:48:53.471Z","description":"For Prince William's 42nd birthday, Kate Middleton posted a fun-filled photo of her family.","url":"https://time.com/6990563/kate-middleton-photo-prince-william-birthday-family-celebration/","keywords":["royals","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0f3ad027f0bfbe72/698a57f9e6e84a965a2b3110/GettyImages-1731330708.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rebecca Schneid","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/rebecca-schneid/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0f3ad027f0bfbe72/698a57f9e6e84a965a2b3110/GettyImages-1731330708.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"The Prince And Princess Of Wales Mark World Mental Health Day - Day 3","caption":"The Prince And Princess Of Wales Mark World Mental Health Day - Day 3","creditText":"Chris Jackson—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/royals/","name":"royals"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6990563/kate-middleton-photo-prince-william-birthday-family-celebration/","name":"Kate Middleton Breaks With Tradition for Family Photo Marking Prince William's Birthday"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Kate Middleton Makes Her Public Return at Trooping the Colour Amid Cancer Treatment","description":"Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, has made her first official appearance since she announced her cancer diagnosis in a video released on March 22. 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