Kensington Palace has released a birthday video to mark the Princess of Wales's 44th birthday, but the reflective and sombre tone of the clip has divided royal fans, with many labelling it 'depressing' and questioning its purpose.
The video, which features Catherine's voiceover contemplating life's challenges, is her first birthday message since announcing her remission from cancer in January 2025. While some praised its poignant message, others criticised it as inappropriate for a celebration.
A Sombre Birthday Message
@gbnews Kensington Palace have released a video to mark the 44th birthday of Catherine, Princess of Wales. #PrincessKate #RoyalFamily RoyalNews #GBNews
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Every year, the palace releases birthday videos to commemorate the birthdays of the royal family members. This year, Kensington Palace dropped a video to celebrate Catherine's special day. However, some social media users noticed how depressing the short clip was.
The birthday video opens with the Princess of Wales talking about what winter brings to everyone. Since the weather is cold, winter seems to be the perfect time to contemplate life's challenges,' she says.
Catherine, in the video, continued by talking about the importance of loving life and appreciating the little things. It is possible that her reflection was inspired by her recent health struggles and the fact that she now has a new lease on life.
However, some royal fans weren't impressed. After all, the video has a sombre mood about it, but it was intended to celebrate the life and birth of the future queen.
'What's the connection between this snowy landscape and Kate's birthday?' one person wrote.
'What's the point of this?' another person commented.
'I can't believe I watched this,' one critic wrote.
'Please, can someone ask Kate what she imagines this video achieves?' another person commented.
'Gosh that's depressing,' another person commented.
Others claimed that Middleton also wants her own Netflix show because she appeared in her birthday video and somewhat acted in it. 'We can see you also crave a Netflix show,' the critic wrote.
Support from Cancer Survivors
Some royal fans were also happy to watch Middleton's birthday video and understood what the entire concept meant to her.
'I love these seasonal videos and her voiceovers. Releasing this on her birthday just shows she cares more about giving than receiving well-wishes,' one fan wrote.
'As a cancer survivor myself, those words are a sign that we've been to the darkest of places in our minds. Even though it's 'one day at a time.' Enjoy every minute. Happy birthday Catherine,' the fan wrote.
Westminster Abbey Continues Tradition
Other than her birthday video, the Princess of Wales was also honoured on her special day by Westminster Abbey, which rang its bells at 13:00 on 9 January.
Westminster Abbey rang its bells at 1 p.m. local time on Jan. 9. The video of the exact moment was shared on X. 'The Abbey bells are ringing out to celebrate the birthday of HRH The Princess of Wales 🎈Our bell ringers are ringing 344 changes of Erin Caters followed by 544 changes of Spliced Surprise Royal,' they captioned the video.
According to People, Westminster Abbey used to ring its bells for other members of the royal family. However, things changed due to the rising costs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Abbey bells are ringing out to celebrate the birthday of HRH The Princess of Wales 🎈
— Westminster Abbey (@wabbey) January 9, 2026
Our bell ringers are ringing 344 changes of Erin Caters followed by 544 changes of Spliced Surprise Royal pic.twitter.com/6qG38qsUTc
