A Swiftie concert and a heartfelt post: Why Prince William's birthday was especially poignant this year.

The Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, has made another public statement, this time to wish her husband, Prince William a happy birthday.

Kate shared a cute family photo to celebrate William's 42nd birthday, alongside a personal message.

"Happy birthday Papa, we all love you so much! Cx," she captioned the Instagram post. 

The fun photo was taken by Kate in June, and captures William and their three children in the air, mid-jump. Royal fans were loving the show of love, and bombarded the post with happy birthday messages of their own.

"The best bday photo I've seen. Happy Bday Prince William!"

"Possibly the best picture I've seen of the family."

"Fantastic Birthday. Such an adorable family photo."

"What a fabulous photo. You can feel the love and joy in this family. Happy Birthday Prince William."

It comes amid a very challenging time for their family. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Prince and Princess of Wales (@princeandprincessofwales)

The royals have been trying to make the best of a difficult situation though, making sure to celebrate Prince William's birthday in full force. 

The Duke of Windsor marked his birthday like a true Swiftie, attending Taylor Swift's Eras Tour at Wembley Stadium, along with kids, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. 

Hours before the concert the royal guard band played 'Shake it Off' in front of Buckingham Palace to welcome Swift to London.

Nothing says happy 42nd birthday quite like taking the kids to see a @taylorswift13 #ErasTour gig. Prince William is celebrating his birthday tonight at @wembleystadium with his children. https://t.co/AbHOQmw4vQ

— Roya Nikkhah (@RoyaNikkhah) June 21, 2024

Princess Catherine didn't attend the concert, which came almost a week after the whole family attended the Trooping the Colour festivities in honour of King Charles' birthday. The event was the first attended by Catherine since she announced her cancer diagnosis in March. 

The princess' happy birthday post, was the second this month. 

On June 15, after months of silence, she released a message via social media, providing an update on her condition.

The Princess of Wales said she has been blown away by all the kind messages of support and encouragement over the last couple of months. 

"It really has made the world of difference to William and me and has helped us both through some of the harder times," she wrote. 

Princess Kate said she was making good progress, but shared her struggles with cancer treatment, including chemotherapy. 

"As anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days," she said. 

"On those bad days you feel weak, tired and you have to give in to your body resting. But on the good days, when you feel stronger, you want to make the most of feeling well."

While things are going well, her treatment will continue for several more months. 

"On the days I feel well enough, it is a joy to engage with school life, spend personal time on the things that give me energy and positivity, as well as starting to do a little work from home."

Feature Image: Instagram/@princeandprincessofwales.