WHILST most of us would be happy with a voucher or pair of slippers for our birthday, Prince William is used to the finer things in life.
That includes a present worth £8 million given to him by his grandmother, The Queen, 10 years ago to mark his 32nd trip around the sun.
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Prince William was gifted an £8 million birthday present by The Queen 10 years agoCredit: The Sun
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But to this day, he still has to share it with Kate and their three childrenCredit: AFP or licensors
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The future King turned 42-years-old todayCredit: Princess of Wales
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The late Queen gifted her grandson a special gift for his 32nd birthdayCredit: Getty
The Prince of Wales turns 42 years old today and is likely spending it surrounded by his wife Kate Middleton and their three children.
To mark his special day, Kate shared a picture of Wills and their adorable little trio on a beach outing as they jumped from a sand dune.
The joyous action shot shows Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six, all holding hands as they make the leap.
Kate penned a heartwarming message alongside the snap, which read: “Happy birthday Papa, we all love you so much! Cx”
It was uploaded on The Princess of Wales’ official Instagram account.
AIR FLAIR
But 10 years ago on Wills’ 32nd birthday, the couple had yet to expand
To help the young family get around at their leisure, the Queen gifted William a £8 million helicopter to use at his leisure, HuffPost reported at the time.
At the time, the royal family regularly travelled between engagements by helicopter.
So, it made sense that they had a chopper to make this easier.
The luxury aircraft boasted expensive leather seats and enough room for seven passengers – perfect for when Charlotte and Louis came along.
After leaving operational duties with the Armed Forces, Prince William retrained to become an air ambulance pilot and worked with the East Anglian Air Ambulance in 2015.
In January 2017, Kensington Palace announced that he would be completing his work with his last shift on July 15.
The Queen is thought to have invested in the whirlybird following an incident with her son King Charles and Camilla.
The pair had a safety scare in 2013 when their chartered helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing.
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The Queen gifted Wills an £8 million chopper to ferry his family around inCredit: Getty
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The Royal Family use choppers to get to royal engagementsCredit: Getty
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The young royals have taken an interest in the aircraftCredit: PA
They were travelling to the Hay-on-Why Festival in Wales, an annual literature festival that “brings together diverse voices from the worlds of art, literature, science, politics, music and comedy”.
The royal couple were 15 minutes into their flight when a “technical fault” forced the pilot to divert the flight to Denham Aerodrome in Buckinghamshire, according to the Press Association.
“The pilot carried out a controlled emergency landing after diverting to the airport,” a spokesman said.
BIRTHDAY WISHES
An adorable baby photograph of William was shared by King Charles this morning to mark his son’s birthday.
The Monarch, 75, shared a heartwarming picture of the pair in black and white.
It showed the prince sitting on his lap as a tot.
In the touching snap, Charles looked lovingly at his son as young Wills brims with joy.
The beautiful moment was captured at Kensington Palace in London, on February 1, 1983.
It was uploaded to the Royal Family X profile this morning.
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The picture of Charles and Wills was taken at Kensington Palace on February 1, 1983Credit: Getty
