Prince William's children call him 'best papa' on 44th birthday

Prince William has been celebrating his 44th birthday on Father's Day, with his wife and children calling him the "best papa in the world".

A post shared by Kensington Palace on social media showed William in the scarlet dress uniform of the Welsh Guards, of which he is colonel.

The Prince of Wales was joined in the photograph by his daughter Princess Charlotte, who was in a cream dress.

The image was taken in the garden of Kensington Palace after last weekend's Trooping the Colour.

It is accompanied by the message: "Happy birthday and Father's Day to the best Papa in the World! We love you very much. C, G, C & L," followed by an emoji of two pink hearts.

The family were at the central London ceremony marking the official birthday of the monarch, where future king Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, eight, joined their parents and their grandfather and the Queen on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

The Royal Family's X account also posted on Sunday, with a message saying: "Happy Birthday to The Prince of Wales!"

Another post from the royal account read: "Celebrating all Fathers, and thinking of those who wish they could be with their Dads, today."

The then-Prince Charles is pictured with his father in Lincolnshire upon completion of his RAF training in 1971.

In May, the Prince and Princess of Wales released a new photo of their daughter, Princess Charlotte, to mark her 11th birthday.

The picture showed Charlotte, who is third in line to the throne, standing outdoors in front of a background of verdant plants with white daisies at her feet.

In April, the Prince and Princess of Wales shared a holiday snap of their family, lying together in the grass in the sunshine, to mark the couple's 15th wedding anniversary.

Also that month, the Prince and Princess of Wales celebrated Prince Louis's eighth birthday by sharing a new photo of the youngster aboard a boat during their Cornwall holiday.

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It has been a notable year for football fan William, who was among the crowd celebrating in the stands at Tupras Stadium in Istanbul as his team Aston Villa won the Europa League to claim their first major trophy in 30 years.

The Prince of Wales also wished England good luck before their opening World Cup match against Croatia.

In a social media post, he wrote: "Good luck to England ahead of their first World Cup group match tonight! Here's to a great tournament ahead."

England won last Wednesday's match 4-2.

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