Duke of Cambridge Celebrates 39th Birthday Alongside Wife Kate and Sister-in-law Meghan Markle

The Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, turns 39 today, coinciding with the same age as his wife, Kate Middleton, and sister-in-law, Meghan Markle.

Interestingly, he is also three years older than his late mother, Princess Diana, was when she tragically passed away in a car crash in Paris.

Both Prince William and his brother, Prince Harry, inherited substantial amounts of money from their mother's divorce settlement with Prince Charles.

It is believed that each of them received approximately £10 million when they reached the age of 30.

However, this distribution occurred five years later than Diana had originally intended.

At the time of her passing, Princess Diana possessed an estate worth around £20 million.

After accounting for inheritance tax, the remaining sum of £12,966,022 was divided between her two sons.

The estate included stocks, shares, jewelry, dresses, personal belongings, and cash from her £17 million divorce settlement.

Typically, royal wills are not made public.

However, in this case, details of Diana's will were altered through a variation order in the High Court a few months after her death in 1997.

As a result, both the original and revised wills were made public by the executors.

Initially, Diana had stipulated that William and Harry would inherit at the age of 25.

However, the revised will included a clause that raised the age of full capital access to 30 years old.

Estimations suggest that, with wise investments, the estate could have grown to approximately £20 million by the time William became eligible to inherit.

Consequently, he would have received £10 million, with the remaining half left for Harry.

When Prince William turned 30 in 2012, he opted for a low-key private celebration.

St James Palace announced at the time that he would be spending it in a modest and private manner.

As for this year's birthday plans, it remains uncertain how William will mark the occasion.

However, it is likely he will spend it with his wife Kate and their three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

Royal expert Katie Nicholl believes that the Duchess of Cambridge will go above and beyond to ensure her husband feels appreciated on his birthday, particularly after a challenging year for the royal family.

Amidst the COVID-19 lockdowns and the need to adapt to the pandemic's effects, the Cambridges also faced the loss of Prince Philip and the ongoing aftermath of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's departure from royal duties.

Nicholl stated that Kate consistently makes birthdays and celebrations special for William and their children.

She shares similarities with her mother, Carol, in this regard.

Nicholl believes that Kate recognizes the difficulties William has faced this year and wants to make his birthday and Father's Day truly memorable.

She added that Kate keeps William grounded and emphasizes his importance to her and their children.

The challenges they have encountered have only strengthened their bond.

Prince William's birthday follows Father's Day, which shed light on the relationships within the royal family.

William and his father, Prince Charles, appear as close as ever, while Harry seems more distant.