The Prince of Wales marked his 44th birthday and Father's Day on Sunday, June 21

NEED TO KNOW

• Prince William is celebrating his 44th birthday on Father’s Day, Sunday, June 21
• Kate Middleton shared a never-before-seen photo of him with Princess Charlotte to mark the double occasion
• The royal heir is also a dad to Prince George and Prince Louis

Prince William is ringing in his 44th birthday on Father's Day.

Kate Middleton joined their children Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, 8, in sharing a sweet tribute to William on Instagram as he celebrated the double occasion on Sunday, June 21, which is Father's Day in both the U.S. and the U.K.

The family opted to post a never-before-seen photograph of Prince William embracing Charlotte in the Kensington Palace gardens after returning from Trooping the Colour on June 13.

"Happy birthday and Father's Day to the best Papa in the World! We love you very much. C, G, C & L 💕," the tribute was captioned.

King Charles shared a throwback photo from a rare engagement that he and William attended together on his Instagram Stories to also honor him on his 44th birthday.

"Happy Birthday to the Prince of Wales," was written over the snap, taken at London's Natural History Museum in October 2025.

The tributes come after Prince William, Kate Middleton and their kids made an official royal appearance at Trooping the Colour last weekend, the British Army's celebration for King Charles' official birthday.

Prince William traveled on horseback in the procession through, while his wife and kids rode in a horse-drawn carriage through London. They gathered together on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after to watch the flypast that wraps the pageantry.

The Prince of Wales follows his father, King Charles, in the line of succession to the throne, and despite the weight of the destiny ahead, he revealed last year that his top priority is his family. 

“Getting the balance of work and family life right is really important," William said during a candid chat on The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy on Apple TV+ in October 2025, where he discussed Princess Kate's cancer recovery, his children and his future as king.

"Because for me, the most important thing in my life is family, and everything is about the future and about if you don't start the children off now with a happy, healthy, stable home, I feel you're setting them up for a bit of a hard time and a fall. And so, it's about making sure that we can look after our families, look after our children, in a way that is best for their future.”

The heir to the throne also said on the show that 2024 was the most difficult year of his life as both his wife and father navigated cancer. Princess Kate announced in early 2025 that she is in remission, while the King's treatment continues.

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"I'd say 2024 was the hardest year that I've ever had," William said then. "Trying to sort of balance protecting the children, Catherine, my father needs a bit of protection, but he's, you know, he's old enough to do that himself as well.

"But it's important that my family feels protected and has the space to process a lot of the stuff that's gone on last year, and that was tricky trying to do that and keep doing the job. But you know, we all have challenges that come our way, and it's important to keep going."

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