What Prince William's birthday message to Catherine really tells us about the royals

By Hannah Furness

The Royal family is not ordinarily famous for its declarations of love in public. Then again, nothing about this past year has been ordinary.

As the Princess of Wales celebrated her 43rd birthday on Thursday, her husband pressed send on the most personal – and telling – message a future king could muster.

"To the most incredible wife and mother," Prince William wrote in a tribute posted on social media at 9.55am. "The strength you've shown over the last year has been remarkable. George, Charlotte, Louis and I are so proud of you. Happy Birthday, Catherine. We love you."

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It was signed "W", the palace's shorthand for a message written by William himself.

There could be no clearer sign of the impact the last year has had on the family, and no simpler insight into the priorities of a Prince and Princess.

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In years gone by, such sentiments would have been shared privately.

Indeed, most of the couple's birthdays go largely unmarked, other than with a basic short message from the Royal family's social media page.

However, just as their lives have changed in the face of serious illness, so has their communication.

On Thursday, the Wales family have no public engagements. Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are at school, with time for a birthday breakfast, tea party and the daily dog walk for William and Catherine in between.

Since her last birthday, the Princess has endured major abdominal surgery, a cancer diagnosis and chemotherapy, and is building her way back gradually to a full life and public work again.

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As of now, the Prince's pride in her is spelt out for all to see. The royal stiff upper lip – or what small part of it had survived – is over for good. Even the King has been seen happily hugging all year after his own cancer diagnosis.

The Prince of Wales's message accompanied a new photograph of the Princess, taken by Matt Porteous, who has worked with the family numerous times before, in Windsor over the summer.

At the time, the Princess had not yet announced that she had finally finished her chemotherapy, and was doing her best to enjoy the school holidays with her young family.

The black and white image – which features her distinctive engagement ring prominently – is another unusual choice, following the Princess's more recent aesthetic of outdoor, countryside photography shoots.

Asked why the Prince had chosen to send a personal message this year, palace sources indicated that the words spoke for themselves.

The Princess, they noted, was increasingly choosing to share her "journey" with the public directly, through her video messages and signed letters.

On Father's Day, she allowed a message on behalf of her children to be posted, telling William: "We love you, Papa. Happy Father's Day G, C & L."

A week later, on his birthday, she signed off with C and an "x" kiss to tell him: "Happy birthday Papa, we all love you so much!"

Prince William is the final member of their nuclear family to make it a full house of declarations of love. The Princess will no doubt be touched by the public gesture. Her husband has previously admitted to less-than-lavish birthday efforts, saying of their early days of courtship: "I did get my wife a pair of binoculars once. She's never let me forget that."

In her message in September, the Princess said of her illness: "This time has, above all reminded William, and me to reflect and be grateful for the simple yet important things in life, which so many of us often take for granted. Of simply loving and being loved."

She will continue with her "gradual return" to public duties this year, navigating the path of life after chemo with her family cheering her on.

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