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Prince William<\/strong><\/a> shared a heartfelt birthday tribute for his wife, Princess Kate Middleton<\/strong><\/a>, as she celebrated another trip around the sun.<\/p>\n William, 42, shared a never-before-seen picture of Kate in honor of her 43rd birthday. In the black and white image, Kate went for a casual look with a black and white checkered scarf that she paired with a black blazer, white button-down shirt and jeans. She wore her dark locks in loose curls around her shoulders and smiled as she looked off to the side.<\/p>\n \u201cTo the most incredible wife and mother. The strength you\u2019ve shown over the last year has been remarkable,\u201d William wrote alongside the photo posted on Instagram<\/a> on Thursday, January 9. \u201cGeorge, Charlotte, Louis and I are so proud of you. Happy Birthday, Catherine. We love you. W.\u201d<\/p>\n The year 2024 was a trying time for the royal family, with both Kate and King Charles III<\/strong> being diagnosed with cancer<\/a>. Kate underwent a planned abdominal surgery on January 16, 2024, and she was discharged almost two weeks later.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Princess of Wales has returned home to Windsor to continue her recovery from surgery,\u201d a statement from Kensington Palace read on January 29, 2024. \u201cShe is making good progress. The Prince and Princess of Wales wish to say a huge thank you to the entire team at The London Clinic, especially the dedicated nursing staff, for the care they have provided. The Wales family continues to be grateful for the well wishes they have received from around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n However, weeks went by with no public appearances by Kate and the public began to worry about her health. It was in March 2024 that she announced she had been diagnosed with cancer<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you, personally, for all the wonderful messages of support and for your understanding whilst I have been recovering from surgery. It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family, but I\u2019ve had a fantastic medical team who have taken great care of me, for which I am so grateful,\u201d Kate said during an emotional video on March 22, 2024. \u201cIn January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n While Kate said that the news came as a \u201chuge shock,\u201d she and William were \u201cdoing everything [they could] to process and manage this privately for the sake of [their] young family.\u201d She made few public appearances<\/a> over the next few months, and in September 2024, Kate revealed that she had successfully completed her chemotherapy treatments<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cLife as you know it can change in an instant and we have had to find a way to navigate the stormy waters and road unknown. The cancer journey is complex, scary and unpredictable for everyone, especially those closest to you,\u201d Kate said in another video at the time.<\/p>\n The princess added that she was \u201ctaking each day\u201d as it came, but she was \u201clooking forward to being back at work.\u201d Palace officials said that Kate was not considered officially cancer-free and she was expected to be subjected to more tests in the future.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n