Kate Middleton, Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte, Prince William and Prince George on Dec. 25, 2024 in Sandringham, Norfolk.Photo:OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty
OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty
Kate Middletonis feeling the love on her birthday as she celebrates with her family.
The Princess of Wales, who turns 43 on Jan. 9, is spending the day at home withPrince Williamand their childrenPrince George, 11,Princess Charlotte, 9, andPrince Louis, 6, when they are out of school, PEOPLE understands. The children recently returned to the classroom at Lambrook School on Jan. 8 following a holiday break and will mark the occasion with their mother later at Adelaide Cottage.
“To the most incredible wife and mother. The strength you’ve shown over the last year has been remarkable,” the Prince of Wales wrote below the photo. “George, Charlotte, Louis and I are so proud of you. Happy Birthday, Catherine. We love you. W.”
William’s social post for his wife on her birthday may be his most emotional yet, and comes on the heels of a taxing year. Princess Kate underwentplanned abdominal surgeryin January 2024, announced that March that she wasundergoing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancerand said in September that she completedchemotherapy treatment.
The Princess of Wales was outside of the public eye for almost all of 2024 to look after her health, and said in her Sept. 9 message about completing chemo that she would continue to take it one day at a time.
“Doing what I can to stay cancer-free is now my focus. Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes,” Princess Kate said then.
Prince William, Prince Louis, Prince George, Kate Middleton and Princess Charlotte on Dec. 25, 204 in Sandringham, Norfolk.OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty
Looking forward, a family friend exclusively tells PEOPLE that Princess Kate, described as a “a real running, skipping and jumping” type of sporty person, iswisely prioritizingher health.
“She is looking after herself and is wise to do so. She will know when she wakes up if she is well enough or not [to do something],” the family friend says.
Robert Hardman, author ofThe Making of a King: Charles III and the Modern Monarchy, tells PEOPLE that the princess may still be healing.
“We are being encouraged not to look at this as a chapter that’s over and then it’s back to normal, because cancer doesn’t work like that,” Hardman says. “The details remain private but there’s no getting over the reality that it’s an unpredictable disease.”
“The clue is in her phrase ‘one day at a time’ — that’s how she’s going to approach it,” he added Hardman, referring to that line in her message about completing chemo.
Kate Middleton and Prince Louis on Dec. 25, 2024 in Sandringham, Norfolk.Samir Hussein/WireImage
Samir Hussein/WireImage
Adds a source, “She has been allowed to get back in her own way. She has been able to pace it and do it her way, and that’s great.”
King CharlesandQueen Camillaissued a tributeto celebrate Kate on her birthday, and the bells of Westminster Abbey rang in her honor. Others in her circle dropped notes below Prince William’s Instagram post.
The Princess of Wales' younger brotherJames Middletoncommented two emojis — a birthday cake and a heart — while Porteous wished the princess a bright year ahead.
The Royal Family’s Instagram Stories on Jan. 9, 2025.The Royal Family/Instagram via Getty
The Royal Family/Instagram via Getty
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The photographer is behind many of the Prince and Princess of Wales' family photos, and took thefirst portrait of Princess Katesince she announced her cancer diagnosis. That snap was also captured in Windsor, published in June with an update about her health, and the new photo unveiled on her 43rd birthday may have been from the same session.
source: people.com