Prince William recently marked his 43rd birthday, and the Princess of Wales took to Instagram to share a sweet tribute.

Kate posted a charming photo of William playing with three lively cocker spaniel puppies. The caption read: “Happy birthday! Love C, G, C, L, Orla and the puppies!”—a nod to herself, their children George, Charlotte, Louis, their family dog Orla, and the newest furry additions.

The post quickly gained traction, pulling in over 460,000 likes in less than half a day and prompting a flood of warm messages from fans.

One user wrote, “Happy Birthday! I see you’ve got the greatest gift already – the love of your family – and your pups.” Another added, “Wishing you a Very Happy Birthday Prince William, rock on with our love from the whole team.”

Many also acknowledged the emotional weight of the past year, with comments like, “You did amazing. This year must’ve been really tough on you.”

A Year of Personal Struggles for the Royals

Prince William himself called 2024 a “dreadful” year during an interview with E! News, citing numerous personal and family health challenges. Early that year, Kate underwent abdominal surgery. Initially, the palace emphasized it was unrelated to cancer. But two months after her hospital stay, Kate revealed in a recorded message that she had, in fact, been diagnosed with cancer.

“This of course came as a huge shock,” she said, “and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family,” a statement later shared by the BBC.