Prince William and Princess Kate seemingly broke a big royal rule to honour Duchess Sophie, seemingly sending a clear message to King Charles about the future of the monarchy.

For the unversed, the Duchess of Edinburgh turned 60 today and the key royals paid heartfelt tribute to the “secret weapon” of the Firm.

Notably, on January 20, the Prince and Princess of Wales wished to release a birthday statement for Sophie before the monarch.

After a few minutes, the official Instagram page of the royal family shared a video message, featuring delightful pictures of Prince Edward’s wife.

Alongside the video, the Palace’s spokesperson wrote, “Wishing The Duchess of Edinburgh a very happy 60th birthday today! To learn more about Her Royal Highness’s work, visit the link in our bio.”

Prince William and Catherine’s birthday post before King Charles sparked reactions, as many fans believe the future King and Queen are breaking royal rules.

Notably, William himself admitted that he would be taking a modern approach in his reign. He will continue his rulership with “a smaller r in the royal.”

The Prince shared, “I can only describe what I’m trying to do and that’s trying to do it differently and I’m trying to do it for my generation.”