Prince Charles and the Queen Share Photos for Prince William's 40th

Prince Charles With Prince William In Open-necked Shirts At Polvier By The River Dee, Balmoral Castle Estate

(Image credit: Photo by Tim Graham / Getty)

published 21 June 2022

'Tis the season for celebration for one Prince William.

After his grandmother the Queen's Jubilee, the Duke of Cambridge was celebrated on Father's Day this past Sunday, and continues his streak of opportunities for a party by marking his 40th birthday today, June 21, which is not only a milestone birthday but also the summer solstice. How's that for symbolism?

The duke's family members have shown him lots of love already on his special day, dedicating sweet posts to him on social media.

First up is Wills' dad Prince Charles (and technically Camilla Parker-Bowles, since the post appears on the Clarence House Instagram). They wrote, "Wishing The Duke of Cambridge a very happy 40th birthday!" with birthday cake and balloon emojis.

A swipe through the photo album shows the prince as a baby in his father's arms, as a kid in a bright skiing outfit on a chairlift next to his dad wearing a much more somber outfit, hanging out with some cows when William was around 20 or so, on the Buckingham Palace balcony with Prince George as a toddler, and a more recent snap of the two men grinning and embracing in their English country gear. It's all very lovely.

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The Queen's Instagram account, @theroyalfamily, posted some equally lovely pics of William over the years, both with and without his grandmother.

The caption read, "Happy 40th Birthday to The Duke of Cambridge!

"Prince William Arthur Philip Louis is the elder son of The Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales. He was born at 9.03pm on 21 June 1982, at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, London. A bulletin, placed on the gates of Buckingham Palace announced that he weighed 7lb 1 1/2 oz."

Cute cute cute.

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Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and Shape. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.