Prince William Celebrates 40th Birthday Amid Reports of Strong Marriage and Relationship with Father

As Prince William turns 40, he is reflecting on his life as a husband, father, brother, and son.

Soon, he will be the Prince of Wales and required to carry out more royal duties, including trips abroad, which means more time away from his family and more public exposure.

However, sources close to the second-in-line to the throne reveal that William is now more at peace with himself than ever before.

His marriage to Catherine is said to be strong, and his fatherhood has given him more contentment beyond his dreams.

Even his relationship with his father, Prince Charles, which has been deeply fractious over the years, is more harmonious than it has been since his early teens.

A close friend said, “he just loves being a dad and having a settled family around him.

Having children always puts things into perspective, and doubly so for him.

Whatever happens at work, he has to go home and be a normal person for the sake of his kids, which has made him more at peace with the reality of his life.”

Another friend added that the future King sees Catherine as being as important to the royal family as he is.

The source also said the breakdown of William's parents' marriage made him determined to make sure his own partnership would be forever.

William is still very protective of his wife.

The way he sees it, she is as important to the institution as he is.

He genuinely admires the way she has just dug her heels in and stuck with it.

However, his strained relationship with his brother Harry inevitably comes heavily into play.

It is clear that they have a long way to go before they can ever begin to ease the bad blood between them.

Matters are complicated by the prospect of Harry's memoirs coming out later this year, which will continue to throw dust in the family's face.

Asked whether they thought that William would ever repair his bond with Harry, one friend said, “that's a hard question to answer.

The truth is they have got to find some common ground again at some point.

But William is also very principled and believes Harry has crossed a line.

He's thrown accusation after accusation, knowing that silence is the family's only option because they don't want to get dragged into a public slanging match.

He sees how upset his father has been by it all, and it hurts.

William is absolutely allergic to drama, but Harry has ensured that their family laundry is being aired on a global scale.”

About the Duke's marriage, William and Catherine's love story has captivated the hearts of many royal fans since they first met at the University of St Andrews in 2001.

Catherine is said to have caught William's eye when she walked down the catwalk in a see-through dress at a charity fashion show in 2002.

The pair's friendship soon turned to romance, with William and Catherine even sharing the same flat in the second year of university.

It was here that the young prince put his culinary skills to the test and cooked hearty home-cooked meals for his wife-to-be.

Reminiscing on their university days, William admitted, “When I was trying to impress Catherine, I was trying to cook these amazing fancy dinners, and what would happen is I would burn something, something would overspill, something would catch on fire, and she would be sitting in the background trying to help and basically taking control of the whole situation, so I was quite glad when she was there at the time.”

Despite William's kitchen failures, Catherine is still very much a fan of her husband's culinary creations.

The royal couple previously appeared on the Christmas TV special A Berry Royal Christmas in 2019 alongside famous cook Mary Berry, and Catherine opened up about what her husband likes to cook for her.

Mary asked if the prince ever cooks for his wife, to which the Duchess replied, “He sometimes does actually.

He's very good at breakfast.”

Although the couple briefly split in 2007, they got back together and went on to announce their engagement in 2010.

During their engagement interview, Catherine admitted the time apart was a good thing for them.

She said, “I think at the time, I wasn't very happy about it, but actually, it made me a stronger person, and you find things out about yourself that maybe you hadn't realized.

I think you can get quite consumed by a relationship when you're younger.

I really valued that time for me as well, although I didn't think it at the time.”

William and Catherine tied the knot in a spectacular ceremony at Westminster Abbey in 2011.

They are now parents to Prince George, 8, Princess Charlotte, 7, and 4-year-old Prince Louis.

Despite much provocation, both William and Catherine have tried to keep the peace more than anyone will ever realize.

Another source added, “make no mistake, he's angry, he believes Harry has disrespected the Queen and their family.

Some members of William's circle say he remains protective of his younger brother and will keep the door open to him forever.

Harry always had concerns about life within the royal family, and in hindsight, the pressure that was put on him and William by living and working together as some sort of dynamic duo put massive strain on their relationship.

They had no room to breathe, but Meghan complicated it.”

As Prince William celebrates his milestone 40th birthday, surrounded by family and friends, he can look back on his life with pride and contentment.

Despite the challenges he has faced, he has remained true to his principles and values, and his love for his family shines through.

As he prepares to take on more royal duties, he will undoubtedly face more challenges, but with Catherine by his side, he can face them head-on.