Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Fashion Month
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career Money
    • Health Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes amp; Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • NYFW
    • Life In Plastic
    • Cari Champion
    • New Books
    • Postpartum Psychosis
    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    Why a "Quiet Acknowledgment" Is All Prince William Can Expect on His Birthday From Dad King Charles

    Luckily, William's kids—and the cutest puppies—helped make his 43rd birthday special.

    Amy Mackelden#039;s avatar
    By Amy Mackelden
    Last updated 22 June 2025 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Prince William and King Charles look serious while wearing ceremonial robes
    (Image credit: Getty Images/Jane Barlow)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Prince William turned 43 on June 21, but don't expect the royal to make a big fuss about the occasion. According to The King's former gardener, the Prince of Wales is most likely to spend the day at home with his wife, Kate Middleton, and their three kids—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. And when it comes to his dad, King Charles, Prince William might not be expecting anything at all, according to one former royal employee.

    Speaking on behalf of Genting Casino, King Charles's former royal gardener, Jack Stooks, revealed that The King is unlikely to made a huge deal out of Prince William's 43rd birthday. "Maybe a phone call or a small gift," Stooks shared. "They're not really into big birthday lunches or public displays unless it's a milestone one."

    Stooks believes that when Prince William next marks a huge milestone birthday, King Charles will be on hand to help celebrate. "When William turns 50, I imagine there'll be a bigger deal made, like a proper party, maybe hosted at Buckingham Palace, and the press will be told about it," the former royal gardener explained. "But for now, it'll probably just be a quiet acknowledgment from The King."

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    Prince William's wife, Kate Middleton, and their three children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—paid tribute to the royal in a sweet Instagram post. Along with an adorable photo of the Prince of Wales playing with the family's new puppies, the caption said, "Happy birthday! Love C, G, C, L, Orla and the puppies!"

    A post shared by The Prince and Princess of Wales (@princeandprincessofwales)

    A photo posted by on

    According to Stooks, the Prince of Wales is likely to have a pretty relaxed 43rd birthday. "He'll probably keep it really low-key," the former royal employee explained. "I think he prefers spending the day with Kate, just doing something as a family. It won't be anything like his 21st, that was a big party at Windsor Castle where they all dressed up and partied all night."

    You may like
    • Princess Charlotte wears a two-tone brown coat dress and gazes up at dad Prince William while smiling, she has long brown hair, while her dad wears a navy suit and is balding Princess Charlotte Pays Tribute to Dad Prince William
    • Prince William in a top hat and suit Prince William Made a "Conscious and Unabashed Choice" to Be Different Than King Charles
    • Prince William, King Charles, and Kate Middleton all wear black outfits to attend a Royal Family funeral in London King Charles Allegedly "Ordered" William to Attend an Event

    While Prince William reportedly used to enjoy big parties, that's no longer the case. "These days it'll likely be dinner at home, maybe with a few close friends at Adelaide Cottage," Stooks said. "When he hits 50 or 60, that's when we'll probably see a big party again, like a marquee at one of the royal residences with friends, celebrity guests from his charitable work, all that kind of thing."

    Prince William and King Charles look serious while wearing ceremonial robes

    "It'll probably just be a quiet acknowledgment from The King."

    (Image credit: Getty Images/Jane Barlow)

    Reflecting on the Prince of Wales's past birthdays, Stooks said, "He definitely used to have big parties back in the day, both him and Harry."

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    As expected, King Charles shared a simple birthday message for Prince William, in an X post shared on the Royal Family's official account. Alongside a new portrait of William, the caption read, "Happy Birthday to The Prince of Wales!"

    Explore More
    Prince William King Charles
    Amy Mackelden
    Amy Mackelden
    Social Links Navigation
    Weekend Editor

    Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.

    Read more
    Prince Harry looks at Prince William on the Buckingham Palace balcony as both wear military uniforms
    Royals Prince William's Stance on Prince Harry Has Changed to a "Cold War"
    By Kristin Contino
    Prince William at King Harald#039;s funeral
    Royals Prince William Pivots From Eton Dropoff to King Harald's Funeral
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    King Charles waving in a blue suit; Prince George wearing his Eton College uniform
    Royals King Charles Could Recreate One of Queen Elizabeth's Eton Rituals
    By Kristin Contino
    Prince George in his Eton College uniform
    Royals How Prince George's First Day at Eton College Differed From Prince William's
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    Latest in Royals
    Prince Harry looks at Prince William on the Buckingham Palace balcony as both wear military uniforms
    Royals Prince William's Stance on Prince Harry Has Changed to a "Cold War"
    Duchess Sophie wearing a lime green dress with a purple sash
    Royals Duchess Sophie Embraces Fall's Unexpected Color Clashing Trend
     
     
    A split image of Prince Harry kissing Lilibet and Harry and Lilibet skiing
    Royals Princess Lilibet Shares One of Mom Meghan's Favorite Hobbies
    Grace Kelly wearing a white dress
    Royals Grace Kelly "Understood Quiet Luxury" Before the Term Was Invented
     
     
    Latest in News
    Prince Harry looks at Prince William on the Buckingham Palace balcony as both wear military uniforms
    Royals Prince William's Stance on Prince Harry Has Changed to a "Cold War"
    collage of the best celebrity looks at the 2026 Toronto Film Festival
    Celebrity Style TIFF 2026's Best-Dressed Stars Are Bringing Their Fashion A-Game to Toronto
     
     
    Duchess Sophie wearing a lime green dress with a purple sash
    Royals Duchess Sophie Embraces Fall's Unexpected Color Clashing Trend
    A split image of Prince Harry kissing Lilibet and Harry and Lilibet skiing
    Royals Princess Lilibet Shares One of Mom Meghan's Favorite Hobbies
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.