Tina Knowles Shares a Rare Photo Taken Moments After Beyoncรฉ Was Born 45 Years Ago

Tina Knowles Shares a Rare Photo Taken Moments After Beyoncรฉ Was Born 45 Years Ago



Forty-five years ago today, a queen was born: Queen Bey.

Beyoncรฉ is celebrating her 45th birthday on Sept. 4, 2026, and her mother, Tina Knowles, shared a glimpse into the day a star was born with a rare photo.

The photo, posted on Instagram, shows a young Knowles in a hospital bed with an even younger Beyoncรฉ in her arms.

The photo is signed โ€œBaby Beyoncรฉโ€ with the date โ€œ9/4/1981.โ€

โ€œReminiscing on this day 45 years ago. You took nine hours to come. And I am exhausted on this photo, but the happiest Iโ€™ve ever been in my life up to this point on this day,โ€ Knowles wrote in the caption.

She goes on to describe whatโ€™s happening in the photo.

โ€œWe are making our first eye contact. The connection is so strong and so beautiful and so powerful. Itโ€™s never been broken and it never will,โ€ she continued.

Knowles then paid tribute to her daughter, the โ€œextraordinary human beingโ€ that she is.

โ€œOut of all the beautiful things about you, the thing I love the most is your huge heart! It is the thing that Iโ€™m the most proud of. You are an extraordinary human being first.โ€

โ€œAnd even through all the sometimes terrible noise you keep going and moving forward,โ€ Knowles said, concluding her birthday message. โ€œCreating, loving, lifting up others constantly making history, and using that genius mind, working your butt off, minding your own damn business, and living your life to the fullest. Happy Birthday I love you โค๏ธ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿพ๐ŸŒนโ€

Knowles spoke about the meaning behind her firstbornโ€™s name during a podcast appearance in 2021.

โ€œA lot of people donโ€™t know that Beyoncรฉ is my last name. Itโ€™s my maiden name,โ€ Knowles said on the โ€œIn My Head With Heather Thomson. โ€œMy name was Celestine Beyoncรฉ, which at that time was not a cool thing to have that weird name. I wanted my name to be Linda Smith because those were the cool names.โ€

Knowles has always been very outspoken in her support for her daughter, whether itโ€™s re-creating one of the singerโ€™s iconic โ€œRenaissance Tourโ€ looks or slamming critics. Sheโ€™s also a cheerleader for her second daughter, Solange.

When Beyoncรฉ made her first Met Gala appearance in a decade and shared the spotlight with her husband Jay-Z and their daughter Blue Ivy, Knowles told TODAY she got emotional.

โ€œIt was kind of reminiscent, because Beyoncรฉ started, you know, her first red carpet at 15, and Blue is 14,โ€ Knowles said May 5 on the 3rd hour of TODAY. โ€œAnd so just seeing her out there looking confident and beautiful, it just brought tears to my eyes.โ€