Prince William has praised his wife Kate Middleton in a rare personal statement.
Today, the Princess of Wales is celebrating her 43rd birthday and William took to social media to hail the future queen as the “most incredible wife and mother, saying “the strength you’ve shown over the last year has been remarkable”.
It was accompanied by a new, unseen black and white picture of Kate taken by Matt Porteous in Windsor last summer, showing the princess looking relaxed and smiling with her hands in her jeans pockets and wearing a gingham scarf.
Kate is celebrating at home in Windsor, with the Prince of Wales and Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
The monarchy’s official media account shared a message on its Instagram stories saying: “Happy Birthday to The Princess of Wales!” followed by a birthday cake emoji.
It was accompanied by a photo of Kate smiling as she collected bouquets of flowers from wellwishers while attending church in Sandringham on Christmas Day.
Kate has endured a challenging past 12 months which saw her undergo abdominal surgery, be diagnosed with cancer and face chemotherapy treatment.
Next week marks a year since the princess was admitted to hospital for an operation on January 16, just seven days after her 42nd birthday.
She spent nearly two weeks in the London Clinic after the major surgery, and was recuperating at home when she was told she had cancer and had to begin chemotherapy.
The Royal Family is hoping for a better 2025 after what William described as a “brutal” and probably “the hardest year” of his life, with his father, the King, also diagnosed with the disease.
The princess’s birthday on January 9 coincides with the state funeral of former US president Jimmy Carter.
But it is William’s uncle, the Duke of Edinburgh, who has travelled to Washington DC to represent Charles, rather than the heir to the throne as has often been the custom for the funeral of American leaders.
The princess is expected to continue her gradual return to public duties with more appearances this year.
Kate said in September after completing her treatment: “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.”
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