On Saturday Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, will celebrate her 39th birthday with a fittingly low key celebration. According to friends Kate will be enjoying a weekend of celebrations with her husband and children to mark the special day, but with the United Kingdom remaining in lockdown, she won’t get to see her parents Carole and Michael Middleton.
Royal fans are also hoping a new photograph of the Duchess will be released on social media, as it was for her 38th birthday last year.
Not one for extravagant parties, a quiet birthday tea and home baked cake will be the perfect way for Kate to celebrate her birthday. Said a friend, “Catherine isn’t one for lots of fuss or big parties—being with William and the children is her favorite way of spending her birthday.”
Presents and birthday mail have been redirected to Anmer Hall, where the family has been living since the start of the Christmas holidays. William is also said to have lined up a number of surprises, including family video calls. Kate usually spends her birthday at Anmer and often with her parents, but as coronavirus cases in the U.K. surge, Kate won’t see them this year.
Like parents around the country Kate and William have spent the past week once again homeschooling their children—George, seven; Charlotte, five; and Louis, two—but Kate is also looking forward to resuming her important work into the Early Years campaign.
“Kate will want to get straight back to work, which won’t be easy with the little ones at home, but she has shown how important her work is to her,” said royal author Ingrid Seward. “It’s not just shaking hands, she’s got to the root of the Early Years campaign and she’s going to be doing much more in this area.”
While the royals spent most of last year in lockdown, they were highly visible The Cambridges became front-line royals and ended the year with a tour of the country aboard the royal train to thank essential workers for their service during the pandemic.
“2020 was a big year for William and Kate,” Seward added. “They emerged from it more popular than ever, but it was also important for them as a private couple. With such busy diaries, they don’t actually get much time together and this has been an exceptional year. The lockdown has meant they’ve had more time together and this has brought them closer together. The lockdown has been challenging at times but for Kate it’s given her the gift of more time with her husband. When you look at them as a couple they look really happy together.”
Seward continued, “You can see Kate’s happy. Everything she does, she does with a smile and that’s not something you can fake.”
While January is usually a quiet month for the royals, the Cambridges are back to work. On Thursday William conducted a video conference call with staff at the Homerton University Hospital, which has seen their highest number of admissions since the pandemic began. During the call, The Duke heard from staff about the significant challenges that they are currently facing, and how this time compares to their experiences during previous spikes in transmission rates.
Royal aides say the couple will be resuming their virtual work, and that while traditional engagements and overseas tours remain on hold, there is plenty of work going on behind the scenes. “It will be back to mostly virtual events for the next couple of months,” confirmed a palace source. Added Seward, “They will be visible, they have to be and there’s a lot to do. They’ll be relied upon to lift the nation’s spirits and Kate and William have proved they are very good at doing that.”
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