Prince Charles shares very special photos for Prince William's birthday but royal fans are torn

The Prince of Wales posted a series of photos for Prince William's birthday but fans pointed out one sad aspect

photos for Prince William's birthday
(Image credit: Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Prince Charles shared a series of lovely photos for Prince William's birthday today, marking his eldest son's milestone 40th with a touching social media tribute. 


On the Clarence House social media channels, five very special snap shots capturing Prince Charles and Prince William's bond were shared, with a caption that told followers to "swipe through the decades". 

"Wishing The Duke of Cambridge a very happy 40th birthday! 🎂🎈," a short but sweet message beside the upload read. 

The first image in the carousel shows Prince Charles as a new father, holding newborn Prince William in a bundle of blankets outside of St Mary's Hospital's Lindo Wing in 1982. 

The touching look-back also features memories of William and Charles skiing in Switzerland together in 1994, as well as a snap taken after Prince Charles became a grandfather, showing Prince George in William's arms on the Buckingham Palace balcony in 2015. 

In the fifth and final image in the post, William and Charles can be seen beaming at the camera together, with William's arm wrapped around his dad. 

photos for Prince William's birthday - Prince Charles and Prince William skiing in Swiss Klosters 1994

(Image credit: Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)

Naturally, royal fans rushed to the comment section to wish Prince William a happy birthday and to react to the throwback photos, but some couldn't help but point out the sad fact that there is no sign of William's late mother within the birthday tribute. 

"It would have been nice to see a picture of Princess Diana with Prince William acknowledging the big part she played in his life . It would have meant a lot," one disappointed follower penned. 

Another agreed, chipping in to say, "Happy birthday to HRH 🥳 What a pity though that his mother is not in any of those photos…"

One more asked "Where's a photo of William with his mother?"

"Nice pics but perhaps one with Diana included might have been nice," yet another commenter added. 

Caitlin Elliott
News Editor

Caitlin is News Editor for woman&home, covering all things royal, celeb, fashion, beauty and lifestyle. Caitlin started on local papers and titles such as Cosmopolitan, Now, Reveal and Take a Break while studying for her Multimedia Journalism degree. She also worked in Fashion PR as a Press Assistant for Arcadia's Topshop before becoming a part of the Now team. Caitlin went on to add the likes of Woman, GoodtoKnow, WhatToWatch and woman&home to her writing repertoire before moving on to her current role.