‘Happy birthday Papa’: Family beach photo marks Prince William’s 42nd birthday
ByNatalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Birthday photo FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales reacts as he visits, Cardiff Metropolitan University where The Earthshot Prize and the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales are jointly hosting an event to celebrate the Welsh seaweed industry on June 11, 2024 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Geoff Caddick - WPA Pool/Getty Images) (WPA Pool/Getty Images)
ByNatalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Friday marked Prince William’s 42nd birthday and the royal family celebrated the occasion with a new snapshot of the prince and his children.
The photo, which was shared to social media, showed the Prince of Wales jumping on a beach with Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Prince George and captioned “Happy birthday Papa, we all love you so much! Cx.”
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) June 21, 2024
USA Today reported the photo was taken by Princess Kate in Norfolk in May, with the newspaper saying it was the same location where the photo was taken to mark Father’s Day. That photo had a similar caption “We love you, Papa. Happy Father’s Day G, C & L.”
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) June 16, 2024
There is no word the photo was digitally manipulated after controversy spiraled due to adjustments made to a photo of Catherine that was posted for Mother’s Day. That photo was recalled by news agencies.
The birthday photo release was shared days after Kate made her first public appearance after announcing she was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer. Her last official appearance was at Christmas before this last Saturday’s Trooping of the Colour celebrating King Charles III’s official birthday.
Days before the ceremony, Kate said she was making “good progress” but treatment would be continuing for a few more months, the BBC reported.
The king is also battling his own cancer which was also not specified.
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1983 Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales (1961 - 1997) with their son Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, UK, 14th December 1983. (Photo by Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (Mike Lawn/Getty Images)
1994 British Royal Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997), Prince Harry, and Prince William carrying their skis during a skiing holiday in Lech am Arlberg, Austria, 25th March 1994. (Photo by Princess Diana Archive/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images)
2000 Prince William smiles for a photograph December 7, 2000 at the Raleigh International expedition team''s accommodation in the village of Tortel, Southern Chile. (Photo by Toby Melville/Newsmakers) (Pool/Getty Images)
2000 Prince William relaxes with a book at the Raleigh International expedition team's accommodation December 7, 2000 in the village of Tortel, Southern Chile. (Photo by Toby Melville/Newsmakers) (Pool/Getty Images)
2000 Prince William carries a log used to construct walkways to link buildings December 7, 2000 during his Raleigh International expedition in the village of Tortel, Southern Chile. (Photo by Toby Melville/Newsmakers) (Pool/Getty Images)
2001 Britain's Prince William takes part in an exhibition Polo match July 15, 2001 at Cirencester Park Polo Club in Gloucestershire, England. (Photo by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images) (Anthony Harvey/Getty Images)
2001 Prince William waits for The Queen Mother during celebrations to mark her 101st birthday August 4, 2001 in London. (Photo by Sion Touhig/Getty Images) (Sion Touhig/Getty Images)
2002 Prince Charles and his son William appear at a photocall March 29, 2002 in the Swiss village of Klosters at the start of his annual skiing holiday in the Swiss Alps. (Photo by Julian Herbert/Getty Images) (Julian Herbert/Getty Images)
2002 Britain's Prince Charles (R) Prince Andrew (L) and Prince William (C) walk behind the Gun Carriage bearing the coffin of the Queen Mother April 9, 2002 as it makes its way to Westminster Abbey during her state funeral April 9, 2002 in London. (Photo by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images) (Anthony Harvey/Getty Images)
2003 Prince William on the beach May 28, 2003 at St Andrews in Scotland. Prince William will celebrate his 21st birthday on June 21, 2003. (Photo by David Cheskin - Pool/Getty Images) (David Cheskin/Getty Images)
2004 Prince William pauses in St Salvator's Quad Monday in this photo taken on November 15, 2004, at St Andrews University where he is a student. The Prince is in the last year of his four-year course at the Scottish university. (Photo by David Cheskin/Press Association via Getty Images) (David Cheskin/Getty Images)
2005 Clarence House official handout photo of the Prince of Wales and his new bride Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, with their families (L-R back row) Prince Harry, Prince William, Tom and Laura Parker Bowles (L-R front row) Duke of Edinburgh, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Camilla's father Major Bruce Shand, in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle after their wedding ceremony, April 9, 2005 in Windsor, England. (Photo by Hugo Burnand/Pool/Getty Images) (Pool/Getty Images)
2005 Prince William leaves Younger Hall after his graduation ceremony, June 23, 2005 in St Andrews, Scotland. The Prince, who earnt a 2:1 class Ma in Geography, will lose the special protection set up to prevent the media from trailing him whilst he was in full-time education. William will be conducting his first solo official engagements in New Zealand over the next few months which will include ceremonies marking the anniversary of the end of World War II. (Photo by Bruno Vincent/Getty Images) (Bruno Vincent/Getty Images)
2005 Prince William warms-up during a training session at Basin Reserve on July 1, 2005 in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
2006 Prince William smiles at the passing-out Sovereign's Parade at Sandhurst Military Academy on April 12, 2006 in Sandhurst, England. (Photo by Anwar Hussein/Getty Images) (Getty Images/Getty Images)
2008 HRH Prince William attends the Christmas Day Church Service at St Mary's Church on December 25, 2008 in Sandringham, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images) (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
2009 HRH Prince William takes part in the Garter Ceremony Procession up to St George's Chapel on June 15, 2009 in Windsor, England. The Order of the Garter is the senior and oldest British Order of Chivalry, founded by Edward III in 1348. Membership in the order is limited to the sovereign, the Prince of Wales, and no more than twenty-four members. (Photo by Chris Jackson/WPA Pool/Getty Images) (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
2009 TRH Prince William and Prince Harry pose in front of a Griffin helicopter during a photocall at RAF Shawbury on June 18, 2009 in Shawbury, England. Both the Princes are currently on their military helicopter training courses at RAF Shawbury. The base is home of the Defence Helicopter Flying School. Prince William's course will remain at Shawbury until 2010 while Prince Harry will remain at the base until Autumn 2009. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images) (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
2010 HRH Prince William, wearing a cloak of Kiwi feathers, officially opens the Supreme Court on the second day of his visit to New Zealand on January 18, 2010 in Wellington, New Zealand. HRH will undertake numerous engagements during his 3 days in New Zealand, before heading off for a further 3 days in Australia. This is the first official overseas visit for the second-in-line to the throne. (Photo by Arthur Edwards - WPA Pool/Getty Images) (WPA Pool/Getty Images)
2010 Prince William and Kate Middleton pose for photographs in the State Apartments of St James Palace on November 16, 2010 in London, England. After much speculation, Clarence House today announced the engagement of Prince William to Kate Middleton. The couple will get married in either the Spring or Summer of next year and continue to live in North Wales while Prince William works as an air sea rescue pilot for the RAF. The couple became engaged during a recent holiday in Kenya having been together for eight years. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images) (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
2011 TRH Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge smile following their marriage at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011 in London, England. The marriage of the second in line to the British throne was led by the Archbishop of Canterbury and was attended by 1900 guests, including foreign Royal family members and heads of state. Thousands of well-wishers from around the world have also flocked to London to witness the spectacle and pageantry of the Royal Wedding. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images) (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
2012 Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the service of thanksgiving at St.Paul’s Cathedral on June 5, 2012 in London, England. For only the second time in its history the UK celebrates the Diamond Jubilee of a monarch. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II celebrates the 60th anniversary of her ascension to the throne. Thousands of wellwishers from around the world have flocked to London to witness the spectacle of the weekend's celebrations. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images) (Oli Scarff/Getty Images)
2012 Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge during Day 6 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Velodrome on August 2, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images) (Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
2013 Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, depart The Lindo Wing with their newborn son at St Mary's Hospital on July 23, 2013 in London, England. The Duchess of Cambridge yesterday gave birth to a boy at 16.24 BST and weighing 8lb 6oz, with Prince William at her side. The baby, as yet unnamed, is third in line to the throne and becomes the Prince of Cambridge. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images) (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
2014 Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge holds Prince George as he and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge's look on while visiting the Sensational Butterflies exhibition at the Natural History Museum on July 2, 2014 in London, England. The family released the photo ahead of the first birthday of Prince George on July 22. (Photo by John Stillwell - WPA Pool/Getty Images) (WPA Pool/Getty Images)
2015 Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge as he begins his new job with the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) at Cambridge Airport on July 13, 2015 in Cambridge, England. The former RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot will work as a co-pilot transporting patients to hospital from emergencies ranging from road accidents to heart attacks. (Photo by Stefan Rousseau WPA - Pool/Getty Images) (WPA Pool/Getty Images)
2015 Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge chat to each other in the Royal Box at the Royal Albert Hall during the Annual Festival of Remembrance on November 7, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty Images) (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
2015 Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge attends the unveiling of The Victoria Cross Commemorative Paving Stones representing each of Birmingham's 1st World War recepients at the Hall of Memory, Centenary Square on December 7, 2015 in Birmingham, England. Ten Stones were unveiled after a short service of memorial by The Bishop of Birmingham The Rt.Rev. David Urquhart with speeches by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Raymond Hassall and Brigadier Anderton-Brown. (Photo by Richard Stonehouse/Getty Images) (Richard Stonehouse/Getty Images)
2016 Prince Harry (L) and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge try out light sabers during a tour of the Star Wars sets at Pinewood studios on April 19, 2016 in Iver Heath, England. Prince William and Prince Harry are touring Pinewood studios to visit the production workshops and meet the creative teams working behind the scenes on the Star Wars films. (Photo by Adrian Dennis-WPA Pool/Getty IMages) (WPA Pool/Getty Images)
2016 Prince George of Cambridge with Prince William, Duke of Cambridge at a children's party for Military families during the Royal Tour of Canada on September 29, 2016 in Victoria, Canada. Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and Princess Charlotte are visiting Canada as part of an eight day visit to the country taking in areas such as Bella Bella, Whitehorse and Kelowna (Photo by Chris Jackson - Pool/Getty Images) (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
2018 Princess Charlotte and Prince George hold the hands of their father, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, as they arrive at the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace, London for the christening of their brother, Prince Louis, who is being carried by their mother, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge on July 09, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool/Getty Images) (Dominic Lipinski/Getty Images)
2020 In this photo illustration Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge are in conversation with Casterton Primary Academy students via video chat on April 09, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images) (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
2020 Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge with their children, Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte and Prince George, attend a special pantomime performance at London's Palladium Theatre, hosted by The National Lottery, to thank key workers and their families for their efforts throughout the pandemic on December 11, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty Images) (WPA Pool/Getty Images)
2021 Britain's Prince William and Prince Harry arrive for the statue unveiling on what woud have been Princess Diana's 60th birthday, in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, London, Thursday, July 1, 2021. (Yui Mok/Pool Photo via AP)
2022 Queen Elizabeth II, Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Prince William watch from the balcony of Buckingham Place after the Trooping the Color ceremony in London, Thursday, June 2, 2022, on the first of four days of celebrations to mark the Platinum Jubilee. The events over a long holiday weekend in the U.K. are meant to celebrate the monarch's 70 years of service. (Aaron Chown/Pool Photo via AP)
