“Happy Birthday to the Prince of Wales!” – But behind that simple greeting was a secret birthday celebration, full of love, music, and royal intimacy. The Prince of Wales turned 43 on Saturday, June 21, and to mark the occasion, Kate Middleton quietly joined forces with King Charles to organize a solemn yet utterly private party at Sandringham House. Surrounded only by close family, the evening glowed with soft laughter, golden candlelight, and the soaring voice of Sir Elton John—personally invited to perform as a surprise gift for William.
Prince William is being celebrated on his 43rd birthday by his wife, Kate Middleton, and their three children.
On Saturday, June 21, Princess Kate, 43, shared a photo on Instagram of Prince William surrounded by their puppies as she led tributes with a sweet message from her and their children, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7.
It was just last month that the couple’s beloved dog, Orla, welcomed a set of puppies, The Sun reported.
“Everyone loves a new royal baby news and so new royal puppies run very close,” an insider told the outlet at the time.
The family was gifted Orla in 2020 after James Middleton’s dog Luna gave birth to six puppies.
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King Charles also shared a birthday tribute to Prince William on behalf of the royal family on his Instagram Stories.
“Happy birthday to the Prince of Wales!” he captioned a photo of William sitting in a field.
King Charles tribute to the Prince of Wales.The Royal Family/Instagram
The messages followed the adorable before-and-after pictures that the Prince and Princess of Wales’ children posted for Father’s Day on June 15. William was shown with his arms around the children as they stood for a relaxed portrait under what appeared to be a cherry tree. The second photo captured them playfully falling into one another as the kids piled on top of their dad.
“Happy Father’s Day, Papa (before and after!) We love you! G, C & L
Best gifts for your loved ones
💖,” the post was captioned.
Josh Shinner, a photographer who has also previously taken photos of the Princess of Wales, took the pictures on what appeared to be the same day as the portraits for Louis’ 7th birthday.
The social media posts came at the end of an intensely busy time for the royals, full of public events.
Last weekend on June 14, there was the annual birthday parade for the King, Trooping the Colour, and then came Garter Day on June 16, when Princess Kate watched as Prince William paraded down the hill from Windsor Castle for the service at St. George’s Chapel before joining him in a carriage when the royals left.
Several days of horse racing at Royal Ascot (its fifth and final day is today, June 21) followed. Unfortunately, Kate didn’t join the family this year for the races, despite being expected to attend on Wednesday with William. She is still managing her return to public-facing engagements as she continues her recovery from cancer treatment, those close to her say.
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“She’s being sensible, listening to what her body is telling her and easing back into public life,” Queen Elizabeth’s former spokeswoman Ailsa Anderson tells PEOPLE in this week’s exclusive cover story.
Prince William also teamed up with actress Cate Blanchett on June 19 to visit one of his Earthshot Prize finalists to highlight the work they are doing to create a more sustainable fashion industry with innovative ways to make color dyes that use much less water and no harmful chemicals.
