Happy Birthday, Prince William, Your Dad Got You This Picture of Himself to Celebrate

Everyone knows one. Maybe it’s an old college acquaintance of yours, who is really getting her money’s worth from that wedding photographer by posting shots from the day every chance she gets. Anniversaries are kind of a gimme, sure, but she’s out here trotting out snaps of her in that white dress for every possible occasion. Father’s Day? Here’s me and my dad, walking down the aisle. Friend got engaged? Congrats, bestie! Here’s a photo of us at my wedding! National Ice Cream Day? LOL, here’s a vaseline-lensed getting-ready pic of my bridesmaids and me eating fro-yo in our matching satin robes, and it definitely was not posed, and by the way, remember when I got married? I looked great, right?

Now, we’re not saying King Charles III was once a bridezilla, but, you know, kind of a look to celebrate your eldest son and heir’s birthday by posting a photo of him helping you practice to become king. It’s like a wedding, but to an entire country and centuries-old tradition. Potato, po-tah-to.

On Wednesday, the official Instagram of the Royal Family shared a previously unreleased photo of Charles and Prince William at a dry run ahead of the May 6 coronation ceremony for Charles and the stepmom also known as Queen Camilla, featuring William pinning something to his grinning dad’s golden robe.

The post was a celebration of William’s 41st birthday, also Wednesday, and was captioned “Wishing The Prince of Wales a very happy birthday today! 🎈” jaunty balloon emoji included. Imagine: Happy birthday, son! Remember my big day? You were there, it was very nice! What do we think of my bedazzled garb and the sovereignty granted to me by the heavens and bloodline?

Charles’s full face is visible in the pic, but as for William? Gotta say, that’s mostly ear and neck. 

In a real double whammy, William’s birthday also falls just after another celebration of his father: Trooping the Colour, a slate of festivities marking the monarch’s official birthday. (Charles was born November 14, 1948.) It’s not hard to imagine someone who doesn’t live under the palace’s “never complain, never explain” modus operandi having a little sulk about it, perhaps a mutter of “it’s not even his real birthday” while watching a literal birthday parade for someone else.

The trials of being a royal birthday boy don’t stop there, either: Even Westminster Abbey’s official Twitter account posted a picture of itself to salute Wills on his birthday.

At least we got to hear some (bell-sounded) commotion for the next in line to the throne, and, hey, when you visit the official Twitter account for William and Princess Kate, a festive birthday balloon animation plays. Fingers crossed that that wards off any potential birthday blues for William, who did look very nice on his dad’s big day. Here’s a picture, in case you forgot.