Royals

Prince William dislikes ‘awful’ Princess Diana birthday tradition

Prince William struggles to understand birthday tradition started by mother, Princess Diana

Published April 24, 2026

Prince William is seemingly ticked off by a common birthday tradition in the Royal Family.

The Prince of Wales, who is celebrant his youngest son, Prince Louis’ eight birthday today, is irritated by loud toys as presents.

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In an appearance on the podcast How to Fail with Elizabeth Day in a 2020 episode, Princess Diana’s friend, Julia Samuel, reveals: “I do to George what [Diana] did to us, which is give impossible toys that are really noisy and take a lot of making.”

“William then has to spend days putting them together. And then put all the machinery together, and it makes awful tooting noises and lights flashing and all of that.”

She adds it “makes [her] laugh, and it makes George laugh.”

“He’s funny and feisty and cheeky and God she [Diana] would have loved him so much,” she said. “That is heart-breaking for all of them.”

This comes as William and Kate posted on Instagram: “Happy birthday, Louis! 8 today!“

Eleen Bukhari
Eleen Bukhari is a London-based journalist and MSc graduate from Brunel University with over five years of experience. Specialising in the British Royal Family and global entertainment, she provides expert analysis of monarchy traditions, celebrity culture, and the evolving media narratives surrounding the world’s most high-profile figures.
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