Prince William and Princess Catherine’s romance, which blossomed on the quaint streets of St. Andrews University, has stood the test of time, proving over the past six months that it’s a love story for the history books, resilient to any obstacle life throws their way. After facing one of the toughest challenges of their lives amid her ongoing health battle, the Princess of Wales was credited as the photographer behind the latest royal snap to mark Prince William’s 42nd birthday last week. The image, taken by the Princess herself, was in and of itself a departure from the predictable norm. By far and away, the most laid-back, it’s one of the best family portraits ever. It captures all the joy, love, and laughter—utterly brilliant. “We really hit the one for the books” were the words on Kate’s post: “Happy birthday, Papa. We all love you so much. CX.” Not just “C” as we have seen regularly, but “CX.” It is unlikely to be a typo or some overeager palace factotum going off-piste when pecking out the wording, but is quite the groundbreaking declaration.
Her decision to depart from decades of precedence and to share something so remarkably personal and intimate, like affection for William, makes sense in the context of the turmoil that has been their 2024. These past few months have been probably the most testing time in the whole of their marriage and must have shaken them to the core. To think about the future must have been incredibly unsettling. Even in the toughest times, that Catherine has deliberately chosen this picture that speaks of their optimism for the future shows their marriage is stronger than ever. She adores William; he is her rock and has supported her so selflessly through all of this and has taken flak from members of the public for not doing more and for devoting himself to her.
After the announcement of the Princess’s surgery and subsequent cancer diagnosis, William was given the opportunity to step back from public life and dedicate himself entirely to his wife and his three children, which will have deepened their love for each other even more over time. Numerous accounts have emerged about the turbulent marriage of Charles and Diana, including tales of a young William consoling his mother by sliding tissues under the bathroom door when he heard her sobbing. Fortunately, William was able to marry for love, with many describing his commitment to his wife as a great accolade to their relationship.
William has faced criticism from the public for his behavior following Catherine’s cancer diagnosis. The future king has made it absolutely clear that Catherine and the children are his number one priority and nothing is going to move him away from that path. Alongside his two oldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, William attended Taylor Swift’s weekend of London shows from June 21 to 23, 2024. Catherine is believed to have stayed home with their youngest child, six-year-old Prince Louis. Photos of them with the “I Love Him” songstress went viral, as did a video of William dancing.
The brief clip, which was later posted to the official ARS Tour X account, showed William enthusiastically dancing to “Shake It Off,” one of the hit tracks from Swift’s 1989 album. Observers examined the footage and called the father of three’s dance moves epic. Standing alone and totally visible at the rail, he dances like no one is watching. This is joyous dancing with a celebratory alpha edge to it. William, George, and Charlotte were also joined by Zara Tindall, the daughter of Princess Anne, her husband Mike Tindall, and their daughters Mia and Lena.
William’s “Shake It Off” dancing wasn’t the only thing that went viral from Swift’s concert involving the royal family. Two photos—one posted to social media by the Grammy winner and another by Kensington Palace—also caused a stir.