Princess Catherine pays sweet birthday tribute to Prince William as he turned 42 and shared adorable new photo of the royal jumping for joy with George, Louis and Charlotte: 'We all love you so much!'

The Princess of Wales released a sweet new portrait of her husband, Prince William, to commemorate his 42nd birthday today, accompanied by a heartwarming message.

The fun portrait shows the heir to the throne excitedly leaping in the air with his three children as they jump. "Happy birthday Papa, we all love you so much!," the caption reads, signed off by Kate Middleton with an 'x'.

The fun portrait shows the heir to the throne leaping in the air with his three children as they jump . 'Happy birthday Papa, we all love you so much!,' the caption reads, signed off by his wife, Kate Middleton

'Happy birthday Papa, we all love you so much!,' the caption reads, signed off by his wife, Kate Middleton 

The family is dressed in casual clothing—with William sporting a hoodie and shorts—as they grin mid-pose for the snap, taken by his wife in Norfolk last month.

William and the children appeared to be enjoying a sunny day at the beach, which looks similar to the one in the backdrop of Kate's Father's Day photo for her husband, shared on Sunday.

William and the children appear to be enjoying a sunny day at the beach - which looks similar to the one in the backdrop of Kate's Father's Day photo for her husband on Sunday

On William's right, his daughter Charlotte can be seen sporting a stripy ensemble as she lifts one arm in the air, while a more timid Louis, donned in a light blue tee from Next, looks down while clutching his father's hand. On his left, a delighted George—sporting a Navy Nike shirt—can be seen waving at the camera. Fans were delighted with the joyful photo of the Prince's young family, with some calling it 'possibly the best photo they've seen' of the Waleses.

Others have also dubbed the royal the 'chillest Prince' in the comments, as they celebrate the festivities.

A young William is pictured in an adorable black and white shot with his father, King Charles III, to celebrate his eldest son turning 42

"Happy birthday, Prince William," one wrote. "Wishing you all the best and more happier times!"

Fans were delighted with the joyful photo of the Prince's young family, some calling it 'possibly the best photo they've seen' of the Waleses

"Beautiful shoot," another added. "Happy birthday Prince William!!"

A third penned: "Happy birthday to the next King... This photo is adorable."

Commenters were also full of praise for the 'normal happy family' pictured in the portrait.

Elsewhere, the Royal Family's social media also wished the Prince a happy birthday with a sweet throwback snap.

The Royal Family has wished the Prince of Wales a happy birthday with a sweet throwback snap on social media

In it, a young William is pictured in an adorable black and white shot with his father, King Charles III, celebrating his eldest son turning 42.

The caption reads: "Wishing the Prince of Wales a very happy birthday!" The little toddler grins for the camera while his dad holds onto him in the sweet image.

The National Museum of the Royal Navy also followed with a heartfelt post, praising his "significant stint with the Royal Navy as part of his military training, completing a two-month attachment in 2008."

The National Museum of the Royal Navy also shared a snap of the Prince, with a birthday greeting

"His diverse training has been a testament to his commitment to serving his country," it added.

However, the festivities come the day after watching England's disappointing Euro 2024 draw against Denmark.

William, president of the FA, was pictured alongside Denmark's King Frederick as the two teams went head to head in Frankfurt, Germany, with the Three Lions drawing 1-1 in their second match of the tournament.

The heir to the throne has faced a challenging 12 months, with both his wife, the Princess of Wales, and his father, the King, diagnosed with cancer.

His birthday came amid speculation that the future king supports his father's slimmed-down approach to the monarchy and that William may not want his younger children, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, to be working royals.

His birthday came amid speculation the future king supports his father's slimmed-down approach to the monarchy and that William may not want his younger children Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis to be working royals. William, Kate and their children pictured on Christmas Day last year

Kate briefly returned to the public limelight at Trooping the Colour last weekend with William and their three children.

Kate returned briefly to the public limelight at Trooping the Colour last weekend with William and their three children

The Daily Mail's Richard Eden wrote that a friend of the prince told him: "When the older members of the family retire, His Royal Highness won't be inviting anyone else to become working royals.

"It remains to be seen if he will even want his two younger children to be working royals."

Ten-year-old Prince George is a future king, but third in line Charlotte, aged nine, and fourth in line Louis, six, are spares to the heir and, therefore, not expected to ever reign as monarch.

In a personal message to the nation, the princess revealed that although she is making good progress, she is "not out of the woods yet." Kate shared that she has good days and bad days and is facing a few more months of chemotherapy treatment.

William was seen with his mother-in-law, Carole Middleton, this week on a day out at Royal Ascot, where he participated in a carriage procession with Queen Camilla.

William was seen with his mother-in-law Carole Middleton (pictured) this week on a day out at Royal Ascot, where he took to a carriage with Queen Camilla for the traditional procession along the course 

Pictured: William presents winning trainer Aidan O'Brien with an award after The Prince Of Wales's Stakes on day two of Royal Ascot 2024

Prince William Arthur Philip Louis of Wales was born second in line to the throne at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, at 9.03pm on June 21, 1982. He weighed 7lb 1 1/2oz and was the first-born son of the then-Prince and Princess of Wales.

Prince William Arthur Philip Louis of Wales was born second in line to the throne at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, at 9.03pm on June 21 1982. Pictured with his mother and brother Harry in 1989

At just nine months old, he accompanied his parents on a six-week official visit to Australia and New Zealand, breaking tradition as royal babies were usually left at home in the care of nannies. His mother, Diana, who separated from the then-Prince of Wales in 1992, died in a car crash in Paris in 1997. William was just 15 and his brother Prince Harry was 12; the boys walked behind the princess's coffin during the funeral procession through London.

His mother Diana, who separated from the then-Prince of Wales in 1992, died in a car crash in Paris in 1997. Diana, Charles and William pictured in 1982

The prince met Kate Middleton at St Andrews University in Fife, and the pair married at Westminster Abbey in 2011 after dating for more than eight years. They welcomed their first child, George, in 2013, followed by Charlotte in 2015, and then Louis in 2018.

The prince met Kate Middleton at St Andrews University in Fife, and the pair married at Westminster Abbey in 2011 after dating for more than eight years. Both pictured at Trooping the Colour last week 

After the death of the late Queen in 2022, the King announced in his first historic address that he had made William and Kate the new Prince and Princess of Wales.

William has a long-running rift with his brother, the Duke of Sussex, with no sign yet of a reconciliation. The fallout originated ahead of Harry's wedding to Meghan Markle, now the Duchess of Sussex, and worsened after the accusations Harry publicly leveled at his brother in his double tell-alls: his Netflix documentary and his memoir "Spare."

When their joint friend, the Duke of Westminster, married in Chester Cathedral earlier this month, William acted as an usher, but Harry mutually agreed with the groom that he would not attend.

Since his last birthday, William has launched Homewards, his five-year drive to eradicate homelessness in six locations around the UK. His other key focuses include raising mental health awareness and the Earthshot Prize, his £50 million environmental competition to find solutions to help the planet.

Since his last birthday, William has launched Homewards, his five-year drive to eradicate homelessness in six locations around the UK. Pictured as a baby, with his mother