It’s a stark shift from Kate’s last birthday tribute.
After Kate Middleton spent most of last year receiving cancer treatment away from the spotlight, Prince William kicked off 2025 with a public birthday post as his wife turned 43 on January 9. The royal family has begun shifting away their usual formal social media presence amid Kate’s illness, and William did just that with his candid tribute and casual image of the princess he paired with a heartfelt message. According to a royal expert, William’s birthday tribute–a stark contrast to the more traditional tributes of the past–demonstrates a key change in his personal relationship with Kate and a new era for the royal family.
Traditionally, the royal family rarely acknowledges birthdays on social media unless they’re milestones, like the unexpected birthday message the Prince and Princess of Wales’s official accounts penned for Prince Harry’s 40th last year. Similarly, the couple’s last birthday post for Kate was for her 40th in 2022: A sepia-toned official portrait from the National Portrait Gallery that showed her wearing a white, off-the-shoulder chiffon ball gown with her sapphire and diamond engagement ring–which belonged to the late Princess Diana–front and center.
In contrast, William’s birthday post for Kate this year couldn’t have been more different. In a photo taken by photographer Matt Porteous at Windsor last summer, the princess showed her continued penchant for “country chic” attire, pairing a dark blazer with cuffed sleeves with a white button-up top, dark jeans, and a plaid scarf. In a sweet note signed from “W,” 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.”
According to The Sun, royal expert Hugo Vickers explained that “the tribute demonstrates solidarity in marriage, teamwork, and the importance of family and unity,” demonstrating “how the couple are strong together” after the toughest year of their lives.
Vickers, who noted that William didn’t acknowledge his wife’s birthday on social media last year, opened up about the change in their marriage. “This message of admiration from Prince William is very heartfelt and very special and I think that we’re all very pleased that she’s gradually getting better,” he continued.
The royal expert also honed in on William calling out one of his wife’s best qualities as a sign of his respect for her.
“William mentioned the word strength, and I think that is one of her quiet qualities,” Vickers added. “It’s sort of an inner strength that she has, a confidence and something which is not in any way overt or explicit. But it’s just there, and I think that’s one of the things that we admire about her, her resilience and her determination.”
In addition to demonstrating just how much the the royals’ marriage has evolved over the past year, Vickers also argued that William’s latest post continues to signal “a new openness from the royal family” amid Kate and King Charles’s health issues. Kate memorably announced she had finished chemotherapy with a touching family video while King Charles broke from decades of tradition by holding his Christmas speech in a hospital instead of a royal residence. Judging by William’s birthday post, it looks like they’re continuing to make shifts in 2025.
