Prince William pays tribute to ‘incredible wife’ Kate Middleton as princess turns 43
Princess celebrating birthday at home after a challenging past 12 months
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Your support makes all the difference.The Prince of Wales issued a heartfelt message paying tribute to his ‘incredible wife, the Princess of Wales, on her birthday.
Kate is celebrating her 43rd milestone at home in Windsor with her family, after a challenging past 12 months which saw her undergo abdominal surgery, be diagnosed with cancer and face chemotherapy treatment.
Sharing the touching message to social media site X, William wrote: “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”
It was accompanied by a new, unseen black and white portrait of Kate taken by Matt Porteous in Windsor last summer, showing the princess looking relaxed and smiling with her hands in her jeans pockets and wearing a gingham scarf.
Earlier, the monarchy’s official media accounts shared a message saying: “Happy Birthday to The Princess of Wales!” followed by a birthday cake emoji.
It was accompanied by a photo of Kate smiling as she collected bouquets of flowers from wellwishers while attending church in Sandringham on Christmas Day.
England Rugby also wished the princess, its patron, a happy birthday with a social media post accompanied by several pictures of Kate meeting players and staff.
The royal family is hoping for a better 2025 after what William described as a “brutal” and probably “the hardest year” of his life, with his father, the King, also diagnosed with the disease.
Next week marks a year since the princess was admitted to hospital for an operation on January 16, just seven days after her 42nd birthday.
She spent nearly two weeks in the London Clinic after undergoing the major operation, and was recuperating at home when she was told she had cancer and had to begin chemotherapy.
After months went by without an appearance from Kate, intense speculation grew into a social media storm, made worse by a photoshopped picture shared online to mark Mother’s Day.
She was forced to issue a public apology and days later, the princess revealed her cancer diagnosis in a video message.
In June, she returned to public duties as she attended the annual Trooping of the Colour parade and then attended the Wimbledon men’s final with Charlotte in July.
In September, Kate issued a deeply personal video update on her health, saying she had finished her chemotherapy but her “path to healing and full recovery is long”, she was taking each day as it came, and was hoping to return to a light programme of public duties.
The princess ended the year on a positive note, having begun to take on more of her usual public duties as she joined her family at church in Sandringham on Christmas Day and hosted her festive carol concert at Westminster Abbey earlier in the month.
Next year, William and Kate look set to carry out an overseas visit together, with the prince hinting as much.
“I think hopefully Catherine will be doing a bit more next year, so we’ll have some more trips maybe lined up,” he said during his tour to Cape Town last autumn.
Kate has not taken part in an official foreign visit for more than 14 months.
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