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 โBaby Beyoncรฉโ with the date โ9/4/1981.โ
โReminiscing on this day 45 years ago. You took nine hours to come. And I am exhausted on this photo, but the happiest Iโve ever been in my life up to this point on this day,โ Knowles wrote in the caption.
She goes on to describe whatโs happening in the photo.
โWe are making our first eye contact. The connection is so strong and so beautiful and so powerful. Itโs never been broken and it never will,โ she continued.
Knowles then paid tribute to her daughter, the โextraordinary human beingโ that she is.
โOut of all the beautiful things about you, the thing I love the most is your huge heart! It is the thing that Iโm the most proud of. You are an extraordinary human being first.โ
โAnd even through all the sometimes terrible noise you keep going and moving forward,โ Knowles said, concluding her birthday message. โCreating, 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 โค๏ธ๐๐พ๐นโ
Knowles spoke about the meaning behind her firstbornโs name during a podcast appearance in 2021.
โA lot of people donโt know that Beyoncรฉ is my last name. Itโs my maiden name,โ Knowles said on the โIn My Head With Heather Thomson. โMy 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 itโs re-creating one of the singerโs iconic โRenaissance Tourโ looks or slamming critics. Sheโs 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.
โIt 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. โAnd so just seeing her out there looking confident and beautiful, it just brought tears to my eyes.โ