When it comes to royal birthdays, one of my favorite things is seeing how fellow family members mark the occasion. Today, Princess Catherine turns 44—and celebrates a year in remission from cancer. Her father-in-law, King Charles, took to Instagram to wish the future queen a happy birthday with a joyful photograph and celebratory emoji.
King Charles Sends Kate Middleton a Sweet Birthday Message
Happy birthday, Princess Catherine!
Published Jan 9, 2026
•4:13pm
PureWow editors select every item that appears on this page, and some items may be gifted to us. Additionally, PureWow may earn compensation through affiliate links within the story. All prices are accurate upon date of publish. You can learn more about the affiliate process here.
Phil Noble-Reuters/POOL supplied by Splash News/Shutterstock
The Royal Family/Instagram
The Royal Family Instagram account shared a snap to Stories, with a beaming Princess of Wales wearing a Blazé Milano pinstripe blazer (similar here) and Capri striped shirt by Ralph Lauren (similar here) while on a visit to the Wellbeing Garden at Colchester Hospital last summer. A cheerful bunch of flowers sit blurry in the foreground, over which a caption reads, "Wishing a Happy Birthday to The Princess of Wales!" An appropriate cake emoji followed.
The Princess of Wales shared a message of her own, writing, "The Mother Nature series has been a deeply personal, creative reflection on how nature has helped me heal." It was accompanied by an Instagram Reel that showed her contemplatively meandering through a winter landscape, reflecting on how vital communing with nature had been in her recovery process.
"Even in the coldest, darkest season, winter has a way of bringing a stillness, patience and quiet consideration," she narrated. "I find myself reflecting on how deeply grateful I am for the rivers within us [that] flow with ease, fears washed away, cleanse[d] and purif[ied]."
Here's to another year of good health, great fashion, exciting tennis matches and comforting family time for HRH.
