The Queen has publicly acknowledged Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge’s 40th birthday today with a lovely tribute on Instagram.
The Royal Family account shared a warm message, along with four images of the Monarch alongside the future Queen.
“Wishing the Duchess of Cambridge a very happy 40th birthday today!” the message said.
Read more: 40 things we guarantee you didn’t know about Kate Middleton
There was even a red balloon emoji!
The Queen’s pictures for the Duchess of Cambridge’s 40th
The first picture shows the two women seemingly sharing a joke at an outdoor event, while the second features them on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, alongside William, George and Charlotte.
In the third picture, the Queen is smiling as her granddaughter-in-law speaks to her and in the fourth they are joined by Camilla, with her Majesty apparently about to cut a cake.
View this post on Instagram
Royal fans lapped up the social media tribute, with one commenting: “Happy birthday beautiful Kate, our future Queen.”
TV presenter Matt Baker quipped: “Welcome to the 40s!”
On Instagram Stories, the Queen also shared three new photos of Kate which the Duchess herself had earlier shared – which you can see and read about here.
Kate’s official 40th birthday portraits, taken by Paolo Roversi, are part of the National Portrait Gallery’s Coming Home exhibition. They will go on display in Berkshire, where Kate grew up, St Andrews, where she met Prince William, and Anglesey, their first marital home.
Prince Charles and his wife Camilla also wished their daughter-in-law a public ‘Happy Birthday’.
“Wishing the Duchess of Cambridge a very happy 40th birthday today!” they wrote.
Kate Middleton’s 40th celebrations
The Duchess is enjoying a relatively modest day with her nearest and dearest, but will ‘go large’ on the celebrations in June, when husband William reaches the 40 milestone.
Read more: Intimate details of Kate’s 40th celebrations revealed – EXCLUSIVE
A source told the Mirror late last year: “It’s very much a scaled-down occasion this year for the Duchess, who will celebrate privately with her family.
“Of course she is mindful of the current situation. She will be surrounded by loved ones and that’s all that matters.”
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