Princess Kate Shares Heartfelt Birthday Video, Breaking Royal Traditions
Princess Kate Shares Heartfelt Birthday Video, Breaking Royal Traditions
Princess Kate, the Princess of Wales, expressed her deep gratitude in the final film of her Mother Nature series, released to coincide with her 44th birthday. Shot by Will Warr, the video features Kate walking through the Berkshire countryside, reflecting on her personal journey and healing over the past two years. This release comes almost a year after she announced her remission from cancer.
Breaking with Tradition
Traditionally, Kensington Palace releases portraits of the Princess on her birthday. However, this year they broke with tradition to share a moving film. In the video, Kate says:
Even in the coldest, darkest season, winter has a way of bringing us stillness, patience, and quiet consideration. Where the stream slows just enough for us to see our own reflection. To discover the deepest parts of ourselves.
She continues, “Alongside the whispers in the pulse of every living thing, I find myself reflecting on how deeply grateful I am. For the rivers within us flow with ease, fears washed away, cleanse and purify. Come to peace with our tears and discover what it means to be alive. To be at one with nature; a quiet teacher and a soft voice that guides. In memory. Helping us to heal.”
The Mother Nature Series
Kate launched this creative project last spring to highlight humanity’s longstanding connection to nature and its capacity to inspire and help us heal and grow in mind, body, and spirit. She has previously spoken of nature as being her family’s ‘sanctuary’ as she underwent preventative chemotherapy for cancer in 2024.
“The Mother Nature series has been a deeply personal, creative reflection on how nature has helped me heal. But it is also a story about the power of nature and creativity in collective healing. There is so much we can learn from Mother Nature as we look to build a happier, healthier world,” she wrote in a personalized caption accompanying the video.
Private Celebrations
The Princess is expected to mark the day privately with her family, with her children having returned to their classrooms at Lambrook this week, following the Christmas break.
This comes after Kate made her first public appearance of the year on Thursday, joining her husband, the Prince of Wales, on a visit to Charing Cross Hospital in west London.
From Girl-Next-Door to Future Queen
Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, born on January 9, 1982, is the eldest child of Carole and Michael Middleton. She grew up in Berkshire with her siblings, Pippa Matthews and James Middleton, attending St Andrew’s School and Marlborough College.
Kate met and began dating Prince William in 2003 at the University of St Andrews while studying History of Art. The Prince proposed to her during a romantic holiday to Kenya, using his late mother Diana’s sapphire and diamond engagement ring.
The couple married at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011, with Kate becoming the Duchess of Cambridge and a future queen. They have three children: Prince George, born in 2013; Princess Charlotte, born in 2015; and Prince Louis, born in 2018.
In 2024, Kate underwent six months of preventative chemotherapy following a cancer diagnosis. In January 2025, she confirmed she was in remission and has gradually returned to public engagements over the past 12 months.
For more information on the royal family, visit the official Royal Family website.
