Kate Middleton and Prince William Send Birthday Wishes to Queen Camilla with the Odd Emoji – A Subtle Jab or Royal Respect?

Kate Middleton and Prince William are celebrating Queen Camilla on her birthday.

Queen Camilla turned 78 on July 17, and the Prince and Princess of Wales shared well wishes for her in a modern way: with a social media post, complete with an appropriate emoji.

“Happy Birthday to Her Majesty!” Prince William and Princess Kate’s team wrote on Instagram Stories and X with a birthday cake emoji.

The sentiment was shared along with the new portrait of the Queen that Buckingham Palace released on her birthday eve.

Kate Middleton and Prince William’s Instagram Stories on July 17, 2025.

The portrait taken by royal photographer Chris Jackson of Getty Images showed the Queen resting her arms on a fence and smiling warmly at the camera. The snap was captured earlier this month in the garden of Ray Mill House, her private home in Wiltshire.

Queen Camilla bought the country home in 1996 following her divorce from her first husband, Andrew Parker Bowles, and has retained it ever since. The future Queen lived there full-time until she moved in with the future King Charles in 2003, but she has kept the home — which is located 15 minutes away from the King’s Highgrove House estate — as a peaceful retreat.

On the Queen’s July 17 birthday, the palace surprised royal watchers by releasing another new portrait of her. The shot showed Queen Camilla sitting outdoors in a wicker chair with a book in her hand, linking to her passion for literacy, which she has made a key focus of her royal work.

“Thank you for the wonderful well wishes on Her Majesty’s 78th birthday today!” courtiers wrote below the new photo posted to King Charles and Queen Camilla’s shared social media accounts, plus a balloon emoji.

The picture appeared to have been taken during the same photo session that yielded her official birthday picture, and the hint was all in her outfit. Camilla wore the same teal patterned dress and jewelry across both photos.

That photo shoot also seemingly produced a candid with her rescue dog, Moley, which was also credited to Jackson. That snap was released last week after the Queen visited Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in London, which she backs as patron and where she adopted Moley from earlier this year.

The new photos of the Queen weren’t the only official commemorations for her 78th birthday. The bells at Westminster Abbey also rang out to celebrate the occasion, marking a rare honor reserved for only a few members of the royal family, and gun salutes were fired in London’s Green Park and elsewhere as a gesture of respect.

Queen Camilla has been a steady presence for her husband the King throughout his reign and as he has navigated a cancer diagnosis announced in February 2024. Shortly before Christmas, palace sources said, “His treatment has been moving in a positive direction and as a managed condition the treatment cycle will continue into next year.”

Previously speaking to PEOPLE about his mother’s devotion to duty, Queen Camilla’s son Tom Parker Bowles, said, “I’m incredibly proud of her. She’s at an age when most people think of retiring, but she never complains; she just gets on with it.”