Happy birthday, Kate Middleton!

On Friday, Jan. 9, Princess Kate was feted with well-wishes on social media, including from members of the royal family, as she turned 44.

King Charles and Queen Camilla led the tributes with a post on the official Royal Family Instagram account.

“Wishing a Happy Birthday to The Princess of Wales,” they wrote alongside a birthday cake emoji and a photo of Princess Kate smiling.

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The post came as Princess Kate shared a personal video on Instagram about healing through nature on her special day.

The video, titled “Winter,” marks the fourth — and final — installment in the royal’s quarterly “Mother Nature” series, which she began in 2025.

The poignant film sees Princess Kate strolling over a bridge, dipping her hand in a stream and looking reflective as she stands in a frosty field, while providing a voiceover about her own personal experience with healing.

The Prince and Princess of Wales resumed royal duties the day before Kate’s birthday, visiting Charing Cross Hospital in London for their first official duty of 2026. There, they met with staff and volunteers to thank them for their work, especially during the busy winter months.

Prince William and Princess Kate are parents to Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7. The family of five stepped out for the royal family’s church outing at Sandringham on Christmas Day.

Former royal butler Grant Harrold recently spoke with Heart Bingo about how the royals celebrate their birthdays, hinting at some of the presents Princess Kate may receive this year.

Harrold revealed, “You might get something a little bit silly because the royals like to give silly presents,” or there could be something shinier in store.

“There are a couple of options for presents from William,” he said. “It could either be something jewelry-based, or it could be something that she needs for the home, or it could be a mixture of both.”

Harrold said that King Charles and Queen Camilla may give Princess Kate a “joint gift, in addition to throwing her a small party or dinner.

“It could be a hand-me-down from his mother. It could be something from his private collection of things that he likes to give family members… things that are sentimental to him,” he explained. “When he was Prince of Wales, he would give things that had the insignia on them, depending on who it was. It’s possible that he could do something like that. Or it might be something he’s advised from the Royal Collection, maybe something that’s a family heirloom that he’s allowed to pass on.”

“You’ve got to remember, family heirlooms — a lot of the items do personally belong to the King, but some of them are not personally owned by the King, but they’re in the Royal Collection. He could still give something that remains in the Royal Collection.”

Last year was significant for the Wales family, as Princess Kate announced in January 2025 that she was in remission after receiving treatment for cancer in 2024.

The Princess of Wales announced in March 2024 that she was undergoing treatment for cancer following a planned abdominal surgery that January. She reduced her royal duties to focus on her health and said in September 2024 that she completed chemotherapy treatment.

After sharing that she was in remission, the Princess of Wales returned to a more regular schedule of royal duties. In July, she spoke about adjusting to a “new normal” after cancer treatment — and the struggles that come with finding that balance.

“You put on a sort of brave face, stoicism through treatment. Treatment’s done, then it’s like, ‘I can crack on, get back to normal,’ but actually, the phase afterwards is really, really difficult,” the Princess of Wales said at the RHS’s Wellbeing Garden at Colchester Hospital, in a stop made to highlight the healing power of nature.

“You’re not necessarily under the clinical team any longer, but you’re not able to function normally at home as you perhaps once used to,” she continued. “You have to find your new normal and that takes time… and it’s a roller coaster, it’s not smooth, like you expect it to be. But the reality is you go through hard times.”