“IT WASN’T JUST A BIRTHDAY… IT WAS A SON’S QUIET THANK-YOU.” Prince William didn’t know it yet, but the greatest gift of his 43rd birthday was quietly waiting under the soft June lights at Windsor Castle. The garden was peaceful, friends talking gently beneath the glowing trees, when Catherine gave a small nod to their son. George stepped forward — a little stiff, a little nervous — and whispered, “Papa, this is for you.” Then his voice rose with You Raise Me Up, shaky at first, but full of something real. William froze. You could see it in his eyes — the pride, the gratitude, the sort of love words never manage to say. And when the song ended, he just pulled George close, holding him the way a father holds his whole world.
On the evening of June 21, 2025, Windsor Castle glowed beneath a rare, golden midsummer light. Beneath the old, lantern-strung…