A Heartfelt Royal Tribute: Princess Kate's Birthday Photo for Prince William Showcases Their Unwavering Love

Prince William's 42nd birthday on Friday, June 21, came with a "heartfelt" photograph snapped by his wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales. The image depicted the future king and their three children having fun at the beach in May, and won raves from even the most veteran of all royal photographers.

"By the looks of things, it’s going from strength to strength," The Sun's long-serving royal lensman Arthur Edwards told the outlet. "And, as this photo shows, the future of the royal family is in safe hands."

"You know if you’ve got a smiling and happy family every time you take a picture you’ve got a lovely happy family," he added. "Catherine has turned into a super photographer. That’s a difficult picture to do at the best of times."

Edwards continued in his praise of the future queen's photography skills: "You might be able to get it all right, but she’s got it just perfect. The children are all loving it and, most of all, so is the birthday boy himself. For Prince William, family is everything and this has shown that. In spite of Catherine not being too well at the moment, she’s still managing to press the button at the right time, because that picture is fantastic."

Edwards explained just what it is about the Princess of Wales that makes her such a charismatic player on the royal stage. "Cancer is an illness that can knock you back, but she has good days and bad days. When she took that picture she was certainly having a great day. She is the hot ticket for royal fans observers and commentators alike. Everything she does captures huge interest and there seems to be huge positivity around her and around Prince William."

William and Kate celebrated 13 years of marriage on April 29, and sometime this autumn, the pair will surpass the 23-year mark since they first met one blustery fall day at the University of St Andrew's in 2001.

"They are the future, aren’t they?" Edwards asked. "This is the Prince and Princess of Wales, and they’ll be the King and the Queen. She is a star and she gives everything to it. She’s a mother, and she has staff to help with that, but she’s got the public appearances, she’s involved in numerous charities and she cares about them, and when she does things she gets involved in them."

He concluded by pointing out: "This lady was almost born for the role. She was a commoner, and she met the Prince at university and they got married."