Inside Prince William’s ‘Amazing’ 41st Birthday Celebration

Prince William is hard at work on his new charity initiative, but he still found time to celebrate his birthday — and it sounds like he had a blast.

“William’s friends had the idea to take him out to a nightclub for his birthday,” an insider exclusively tells Us Weekly of the Prince of Wales, who turned 41 on June 21. “William was skeptical at first but then decided to step out of his comfort zone and do something he hasn’t done in years. He wound up having an amazing time!”

The source notes that William “felt a little uncomfortable at first,” but he eventually “loosened up and cut a rug with his guy friends,” who want to make the nightclub outing “a new tradition.”

The prince also marked the occasion with his wife, Princess Kate, and their three children: Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5. “Kate and William also had a special dinner with the kids on his birthday,” the insider reveals.

William’s birthday celebrations came after weeks of major events for the royal family. In early May, William participated in the coronation of his father, King Charles III, with Kate, 41, and their children. One month later, the Cambridges attended the Trooping the Colour parade, which is held in early June and marks the official birthday of the sovereign. (Last year’s Trooping the Colour coincided with the late Queen Elizabeth II‘s Platinum Jubilee.)

Following all that pageantry, William returned to work on his Homewards project, which he launched earlier this week. The program will unite “an unprecedented network of organizations and individuals” by tapping into their expertise to “create and deliver a tailored plan to prevent homelessness in their areas,” Kensington Palace said in a statement on Monday, June 26.

Homewards’ five-year plan will be implemented in six flagship locations around the United Kingdom, each of which will receive up to £500,000 in seed funding from the project. Findings from the flagship locations’ work will then be used elsewhere across the U.K. and around the world.

“In a modern and progressive society, everyone should have a safe and secure home, be treated with dignity and given the support they need,” William said in a statement announcing the program. “Through Homewards, I want to make this a reality and over the next five years, give people across the U.K. hope that homelessness can be prevented when we collaborate.”

According to the insider, the prince is eager to keep pushing on with Homewards after letting off some steam for his birthday. “William has been showered with love and is looking forward to getting back to work on his anti-homeless initiative,” the source tells Us.