The Prince of Wales turned 42 on Friday

On Friday, Prince William turned 42 and to mark the occasion, a photograph taken by his wife, the Princess of Wales, was released.

The photo was snapped on the beach and featured the royal dad-of-three alongside his three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis jumping into the air on a sand dune. The royals' faces were pictures of joy, with William and George in particular flashing huge smiles for the fun photo.

Kate lovingly captioned the image: "Happy birthday Papa, we all love you so much! Cx," with a credit confirming her as the author and that the photo was taken earlier in the year.

Fans fell in love with the beautiful photo, with many hailing it the "best" photo of William and his children that had been taken.

One enthused: "Possibly the best picture I've seen of the family," while a second added: "The best bday photo I've seen. Happy Bday Prince William!" and a third commented: "What a fun photo!! Love it, happy birthday to Prince William!"

A fourth penned: "What a fabulous photo. You can feel the love and joy in this family. Happy Birthday Prince William," and a fifth said: "Happy birthday Prince William! We hope you have the best day and such a beautiful photo!!"

It's been a busy time for Prince William of late, having flown to Germany for a football game between England and Denmark just days after attending Royal Ascot with his in-laws Michael and Carole Middleton and the annual Garter Day service.

The family will likely be spending the day in private, but over the past few months, William has been supporting his wife through her cancer diagnosis.

Kate has been touched by William's support and in a personal message released ahead of her appearance at last week's Trooping the Colour, the royal said: "I have been blown away by all the kind messages of support and encouragement over the last couple of months.

"It really has made the world of difference to William and me and has helped us both through some of the harder times.

"I am making good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days. On those bad days you feel weak, tired and you have to give in to your body resting. But on the good days, when you feel stronger, you want to make the most of feeling well."

RELATED: Prince William's life in pictures: from Diana's little boy to Kate's devoted husband and family man

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