Royal family celebrates Prince William’s 40th birthday
Prince Charles leads tributes to Prince William on the future king’s 40th birthday with some adorable blasts from the past.
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The royal family has marked Prince William’s milestone 40th birthday by honouring the occasion on social media with some throwback photos.
The Duke of Cambridge turned 40 on Tuesday, with members of his family and royal watchers from all over the world, wishing him well.
Clarence House, the official page of Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, posted a number of photos, encouraging followers to “swipe through the decades” to see Prince Charles and Prince William’s relationship over the years.
Wishing The Duke of Cambridge a very happy 40th birthday! 🎂🎈 pic.twitter.com/lV709IUivH
— The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall (@ClarenceHouse) June 21, 2022
“Wishing The Duke of Cambridge a very happy 40th birthday,” the caption read.
The tribute included a shot of Prince Charles holding his son as a baby, with another showing the pair sitting in a cable car during a ski trip, and a sweet, final image of Prince William with his arm around his father, both laughing.
Other members of the royal family also shared social media tributes to celebrate and look back at the future king’s life.
The Queen’s official Twitter account posted a series of images showing Prince William carrying out public and official duties in support of the monarch.
🌎 His Royal Highness now undertakes a number of charitable activities and projects, with a particular focus on the environment, young people & mental health.
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) June 21, 2022
He also carries out public and official duties in support of The Queen, in the UK and overseas: https://t.co/EUD80AxbWspic.twitter.com/4G74aLwm6b
The British royals’ official Twitter and Instagram pages, which provide updates on the Queen and other members of the family, shared a series of photos starting with a recent photo of William smiling as he participated in the lighting of the Platinum Jubilee beacons earlier this month.
On Instagram, the royal family shared a black and white throwback photo of a young Prince William as well as a series of Prince William with his grandmother the Queen over the years. “Happy 40th Birthday to The Duke of Cambridge!” they captioned the images along with an emoji of a face with a party hat and blower.
The account also shared several photos on Twitter, including a shot from William’s world debut shortly after his birth in the arms of Princess Diana. Other snaps included one from his 2011 wedding to Kate Middleton and a shot from his 2005 graduation from St. Andrew’s University alongside the Queen.
“Thank you for all the happy birthday messages today. W,” Prince William wrote in an Instagram story on the Cambridges account.
🥳 Happy Birthday to The Duke of Cambridge!
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) June 21, 2022
As the second in line to the throne turns 40, learn more about His Royal Highness 🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/9WXk7kBiT9
Ahead of the Duke of Cambridge celebrating his 40th birthday on Tuesday, he swapped his royal garb for a red vendor jacket and took to the streets of London to sell The Big Issue magazine, which offers employment opportunities to people in poverty.
William joined vendor Dave Martin, 60, in the capital to draw attention to the work of the publication, which is sold by rough sleepers and people facing poverty and homelessness in the UK, according to The Big Issue’s official website.
The prince wrote a piece for the magazine detailing why he went undercover to sell issues to members of the public in support of the cause earlier this month.
“I was 11 when I first visited a homeless shelter with my mother, who in her own inimitable style was determined to shine a light on an overlooked, misunderstood problem,” William wrote in a piece published Monday. “In the 30-odd years since, I’ve seen countless projects in this space grow from strength to strength, including charities of which I have had the honour of being Patron.”
“I wanted to experience the other side and see what it was like to be a Big Issue vendor. My time was truly eye opening,” William wrote. “And while I may seem like one of the most unlikely advocates for this cause, I have always believed in using my platform to help tell those stories and to bring attention and action to those who are struggling. I plan to do that now I’m turning 40, even more than I have in the past.”
His 40th birthday marks a significant milestone for the future king, who is rapidly stamping his authority on the British royal family by plotting a course between tradition and modernity.
William’s wife Catherine celebrated her landmark birthday in January and only Queen Elizabeth II is held in higher regard by the public than the close-knit couple, who are often held up as a model for the future of the monarchy.
According to pollsters YouGov, William, whose birthday is on Tuesday, is the most popular royal behind the queen, with a 66-percent approval rating, followed by Kate on 60 per cent.
“It’s a very important milestone for him because, with his father Prince Charles, he’s stepping up to support the queen, and also to continue to create an identity as the future king,” royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told AFP.
Such is William’s popularity that many even want him to leapfrog his father and become king when his grandmother dies.
Since the 96-year-old sovereign began winding down her duties due to ill health and old age last year, second-in-line to the throne William has been an increasingly influential figure.
The Duke of Cambridge, as he is officially known, accompanied his father when the queen missed the State Opening of Parliament in May and has also weighed in on important family decisions.
He was reportedly a prime mover in blocking the participation of Prince Andrew, his sex scandal-hit uncle, in the traditional Order of the Garter ceremony this month.
“They (William and Kate) are the monarchy’s future, that was underlined at the balcony appearance at the end of the Jubilee” celebrations to mark the queen’s record-breaking 70-year reign, said Fitzwilliams.
CENTRAL ROLE
William’s time has been devoted to the family since giving up his role as a helicopter ambulance pilot in 2017.
Significantly, he is reportedly planning to move out of London’s Kensington Palace and into a four-bedroom cottage, described as modest, on the grounds of the queen’s Windsor Castle home west of London where she spends most of her time.
The move will allow him to get closer to the queen and strengthen his role in the family’s inner sanctum, commentators said.
While he is becoming more committed to his royal duties, he is also determined to provide a normal life for his three children – Prince George, aged eight, Princess Charlotte, seven, and four-year-old Prince Louis.
This is partly driven by his own childhood, which was marked by the trauma of his parents’ very public separation and divorce, and the death of his mother Diana in a car accident in 1997 when he was only 15.
His mother’s example is evident in his more modern outlook, which saw him break with the traditions of royal fathers and get his hands dirty with nappy changing, and help the older two with homework.
DIANA’S LEGACY
William was “moulded” by the “traditional” queen during Sunday lunches with her at Windsor when he was studying at the elite Eton College nearby, Marc Roche, author of several books on the monarchy, told AFP.
But “among William’s assets, there is … perhaps due to the influence of his mother, a great sensitivity to diversity and the environment”, he added.
The prince has revealed little about what goes on behind palace walls but defended the family after his brother Harry and wife Meghan gave a shock interview on US television, in which they accused members of being racist.
He vehemently denied the allegations and by all accounts, relations with Harry are strained.
But William recognises the need to modernise the age-old institution to enable it to survive after Elizabeth II and fend off the forces of republicanism that are stronger among younger generations.
This need was emphasised during a recent tour of the Caribbean in March, which was criticised for being a throwback to colonial times.
“One of the things that William is particularly concerned with is the image of the monarchy and how it moves forward,” said Fitzwilliams
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