Royal family shares throwback baby photo of Prince William to mark 39th birthday

Duke of Cambridge pictured on the lap of his father, Prince Charles, as an infant

(PA)

Clarence House has marked the Duke of Cambridge’s 39th birthday by sharing a photograph of the Prince of Wales cradling his eldest son as an infant.

In the black and white photograph, taken in December 1982, Prince William is pictured as a six-month-old staring down the camera lens as his father holds him on his knee and looks down at him.

The photograph was taken at Kensington Palace and shared by the Clarence House Twitter account alongside the caption: “A very Happy Birthday to The Duke of Cambridge!”

The photograph was shared alongside another depicting Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall clapping at an event.

The tweet has been liked more than 9,000 times and prompted hundreds of comments in response from royal fans wishing Prince William a happy birthday.

“Lovely to see The Duchess included as well! Wonderful photos. Happy Birthday, Prince William!” tweeted one person.

“A very happy birthday William, our future king, we hope you have a great day with your lovely family,” added another in reference to the fact that William is second in line to the throne after his father.

The royal family also sent Prince William their congratulations on the official royal family Twitter feed with a message reading: “Wishing The Duke of Cambridge a very Happy Birthday today!”

Kensington Palace has since responded to the messages on Prince William’s behalf, thanking well-wishers for their “kind messages”.

Prince William Arthur Philip Louis of Wales, as he was christened, was born at 9.03pm on June 21 1982 at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington,

He weighed 7lb one 1/2 oz and was the first-born son of the late Princess of Wales, who died in a car crash in 1997.

Prince William’s birthday comes as he and his eldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, made a surprise appearance to cheer on runners in a race at Sandringham Estate on Sunday.

The Run Sandringham event invited hundreds of runners to either run a half marathon, a 5k or a community mile, all to raise money for charity.