Kate, Princess of Wales is celebrating her 42nd birthday on January 9. Photo / AP
Kate, Princess of Wales is celebrating her 42nd birthday on January 9. Photo / AP
Princess Kate has turned 42 and to celebrate, the King and Queen have released a never-before-seen photo of her.
Taking to social media, Buckingham Palace released a photo of the Princess of Wales taken at King Charles’ coronation in May and offered their warmest wishes to the senior royal.
The caption reads, “Wishing the Princess of Wales a very happy birthday today”, alongside a photo of the mother of three smiling as she chats with the King and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh after the service at Westminster Abbey last year.
The image was taken by Chris Jackson, of Getty Images, and features the much-loved royal wearing a deep-blue Royal Victorian Order mantle and a headpiece with silver and crystal leaf embroidery.
Wishing The Princess of Wales a very happy birthday today! 🎈🎊
King Charles and Queen Camilla aren’t the only ones to wish the princess a happy birthday — elsewhere, many of the charities and organisations she works closely with have taken to social media to share their well wishes.
V&A, the Scouts, the Maternal Mental Health Alliance, England Rugby and Each (East Anglia Children’s Hospices) all shared posts dedicated to the future queen with V&A posting two elegant photos of the princess with the caption, “Wishing HRH The Princess of Wales a very happy birthday today!”
Wishing HRH The Princess of Wales a very happy birthday today! 🎂
As Royal Patron of the V&A we thank her for her continued support, championing of youth creativity and early years development, and celebration of art and design.
“As Royal Patron of the V&A we thank her for her continued support, championing of youth creativity and early years development, and celebration of art and design.”
As for Kate’s immediate family, Prince William and their three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, they are yet to share anything on social media. However, as in years past, it’s likely the Waleses will be busy entertaining friends and family at their annual get-together.
People magazine reported that each year the Prince and Princess of Wales block out one weekend at the start of the year to entertain their nearest and dearests, with the date often occurring on or near Kate’s birthday resulting in a celebration.
In 2021, the celebration included a birthday tea party hosted by William and the couple’s children at their Norfolk home.
The princess will probably be having a private celebration with her family including William and their three children, George, Charlotte and Louis. Photo / AP
In 2022, the princess celebrated her 40th birthday with a “low-key” celebration as a result of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 that was spreading rapidly throughout the UK.
“The Abbey bells are ringing to celebrate the birthday of The Princess of Wales,” they captioned a video of the moment on social media. “Our bell ringers are ringing 542 changes of Stedman Caters followed by a course of Sgurr A’Chaorachain Surprise Royal.”
Until 2020, the bells would ring to mark only 12 royal birthdays — those of Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, and their four children Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, as well as Camilla, Prince William, Kate and their children George, Charlotte and Louis.
Now, due to changes following the Covid-19 pandemic — including financial issues — People magazine reported the bells will ring for four of the most senior royals’ birthdays this year: Princess Kate on January 9, Prince William on June 21, Queen Camilla on July 17, and King Charles on November 14.
The magazine also reported the bells will ring on other important royal occasions such as the May 6 coronation anniversary, and June 15 to commemorate the King’s public birthday celebrations, also known as Trooping the Colour.
