Prince William has thanked fans for their ‘lovely’ birthday wishes as he celebrates his 37th today.
The official Instagram account for Duke and Duchess of Cambridge shared a snap of the father-of-three on a working visit to Mkomazi National Park in Tanzania last year.
The picture, which was shared with the account’s 9.3 million Instagram followers, shows the Prince beaming as he stands outside a safari truck during a visit to the area in September 2018.
The caption read: ‘Thank you everyone for the lovely birthday wishes on the Duke of Cambridge’s birthday!’
Prince Charles was one of the first royals to share his best wishes to the royal, sharing an adorable snap of William playing in Kensington Palace gardens on his second birthday.
It’s believed the Duke will celebrate his birthday privately with his family today, after attending Royal Ascot earlier in the week.
Kensington Palace has shared a snap of the Duke on a working visit Mkomazi National Park in Tanzania last year to thank fans for their good wishes
Royal fans were quick to comment on the post, with some commenting how much Prince William looks like Princess Diana in the photo
Prince William’s post wracked up over 40,000 likes within 30 minutes of being posted, and was also shared on the official Kensington Palace Twitter account.
He made the three-day visit to Tanzania in September as part of his mission to fight poaching and tackle illegal trade in wildlife.
At the time, the trip to Tanzania was described as a ‘private working trip’ for the royal, who is president of the United for Wildlife group and patron of Tusk, another conservation organization.
Those on safari in the Mkomazi National Park can spot African elephants, zebra, black rhinos and lions.
The official Clarence House Twitter account shared the black and white snap of Prince William and the Prince of Wales playing in the Kensington Palace garden on the royal’s second birthday
The Duke of Cambridge with his wife Kate, chatting to King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands at Royal Ascot earlier this week
Hundreds of royal fans have flooded the comments with happy birthday messages to the royal, with one writing how much the Prince looks like his mother, Princess Diana.
Prince Charles was amongst those wishing the royal a happy birthday, with the Official Clarence House Twitter account sharing a younger photograph of William playing with his father.
The black and white image was taken on Prince William’s second birthday in 1984, as he played in the garden with his father and Princess Diana.
The snap shows Prince Charles pushing William on a swing at Kensington Palace, with the message reading:’Happy Birthday to HRH The Duke of Cambridge, who turns 37 today. #HappyBirthdayHRH.’
Prince Andrew also shared his best wishes for his nephew on his birthday, sharing this adorable snap of the-then four year old William exploring a helicopter
Prince Andrew also shared his best wishes for the royal on his birthday, with his official Twitter account sharing a snap of the pair on board HMS Brazen in 1986.
An inquisitive four year old William can be seen exploring the helicopter while his proud uncle looks on.
William has previously spoken about his love for Tanzania, saying he first fell in love with Africa when he spent time in Kenya, Botswana and Tanzania as a teenager.
Ahead of his trip in 2018, he said: ‘Africa is both the oldest and the youngest continent in the world, being both the birthplace of humankind and the continent with the youngest population.
Prince William visited Tanzania last September on a solo ‘private’ working trip to the country (pictured with Tanzania President John Magufuli)
‘My patronage of the Royal African Society is an honour and I will certainly continue to be a passionate advocate for Africa here in the UK.’
It comes as news broke that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will formally split from their joint charity with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and set up their own foundation.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are to break away from the Royal Foundation in what is seen as the final step in the division of the couples’ public duties.
It comes amid news that the Duke and Duchess Sussex will break away from the royal foundation set up with Prince William and Kate (pictured, at the first Royal Foundation Forum in London in February 2018)
It follows claims over the past year of a rift, first between Kate and Meghan, and then between future king Prince William and his younger brother, Harry.
Royal sources denied the changes were linked to these claims – saying it was ‘largely about preparing both couples for their future roles which are obviously on divergent tracks’ – but many will see it as part of the ongoing distance between the couples.
William, Kate, Harry and Meghan’s joint Royal Foundation venture was intended to harness the star power of the four high-profile royals, but it lasted just 16 months.