For Duchess Kate’s 39th birthday, a promise to be more keen this year

The Duchess of Cambridge turned 39 years old on Saturday. It’s a tough birthday! Not as tough as 40, but pretty tough. 40 is when you stop counting altogether. To celebrate, Kensington Palace posted this photo of Kate from December, taken during the Cambridges’ Covid Choo Choo Tour. They did wear masks for some of their stops, and I feel like it’s notable that Kate chose a photo where she’s masked. Perhaps she is aware of the completely terrible optics of that tour, especially now that the UK is under yet another lockdown. Short-sighted a–holes, thy name is Keen. In addition to posting this photo, Kensington Palace organized Kate’s hagiographer Katie Nicholls to write a lil’ something in Vanity Fair. Enjoy:

Kate’s birthday was a 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. 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.”

Birthday gifts: 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.

Kate is looking forward to resuming work with 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.”

The Cambridges are, as ever, very keen. “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. You can see Kate’s happy. Everything she does, she does with a smile and that’s not something you can fake.”

Back to virtual events: 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.”

[From Vanity Fair]

I grew slightly alarmed at those Ingrid Seward quotes, they read like she had a stroke in the middle of kissing their royal arses. “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.” I suppose some people buy that, but lord, at this point, the jig is up, right? They’ve NEVER had busy diaries. Ever. And yet, the one thing that’s true is that they don’t spend much time together. William is always busy with other things… manly things, like talking about football, or working on his car collection. Or making time to trim rose bushes.

Also: this served as a reminder that because of the lockdown, Kate doesn’t have to pretend to have anything new to “launch” with Early Years. LMAO. Super-convenient. And whenever lockdown is lifted, her excuse will be that she needs another two years of private meetings and busy-work “studies” before she does anything. Last thing: “Everything she does, she does with a smile and that’s not something you can fake.” OH MY GOD.

The Duchess of Cambridge takes her landmark survey to London during a breakfast visit to LEYF (London Early Years Foundation) at Stockwell Gardens Nursery & Pre-school.

The Duchess of Cambridge visits the University of Derby

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, WENN, Backgrid.

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74 Responses to “For Duchess Kate’s 39th birthday, a promise to be more keen this year”

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  1. Amy Bee says:

    The Mail on Sunday’s You Magazine also had a spread on Kate this weekend. If you also add the People Mag feature from a few weeks ago, it looks like KP is working overtime to get the word out that Kate is keener than ever.

    • Elizabeth Regina says:

      39 (actually less) ways Kate is more keen:
      She is more keen to smile inappropriately with that rictus grin
      She is more keen to wear coat dresses
      She is more keen to copy her sister in law’s causes
      She is more keen to copy everyone else’s mannerisms
      She is more keen to copy her sister in law’s zoom call decor
      She is more keen for her photo ops
      She is more keen to show off her wiglets
      She is more keen to show off her botox
      She is more keen to show off her fillers
      She is more keen to be seen as top CEO
      She is more keen to leak how hard she works
      She is more keen to copy notes
      She is more keen to spell incorrectly
      She is more keen to go on another failed choo choo tour
      She is more keen to come out of her shell
      She is more keen to take back the spot light
      She is more keen to wear those buttons
      She is more keen to show herself up in full view of the world at the Commonwealth service
      She is more keen to twirl her hair at another Remembrance Day service
      She is more keen to play with toasted marshmallows with a gloved finger
      She is more keen to ask another set of 5 questions
      She is more keen to do less than she’s ever done

    • Noodle says:

      What’s unfortunate is that the past nine months would have been a perfect way to integrate the Early Years initiative into researching how the pandemic is affecting young children. This is precisely the conversation we need to be having, and a conversation that is taking place in a lot of universities and school systems. She’s missed an excellent opportunity to actually practice what she preaches.

  2. Digital Unicorn says:

    Same sh!t every year!!! Clearly they will never stop pushing this narrative – she’s the Royal Melania and the no matter how much the BM try they can’t hide that.

    William is Dump and Kate is nothing more than a lazy gold digging trophy wife.

    • Rapunzel says:

      Yep…it’s meet the new Kate, same as the old Kate. Every. Year.

      • Where'sMyTiara says:

        “Everything she does, she does with a smile and that’s not something you can fake.”

        I choked on my tea for real over here.
        Oh please. Like we can’t see her veneers FROM SPACE.

        How does Kate have time to smile when she spends most of it yelling at the help or being salty that Meghan is accomplished, brilliant, and getting more attention than her?

        Honestly, she should stick to wiglets, it’s the only thing she’s demonstrably good at.

    • Sofia says:

      Every year since 2011, we are told that THIS year will be Kate’s year. And then when that doesn’t happen, they just start it up again next year.

    • Belli says:

      I’d be so embarrassed if I was approaching 40 and the only praise people could give my life so far was that empty.

      • Becks1 says:

        When you compare her work over the past 12 months to Meghan’s – its really remarkable. You see the difference having a work ethic and the actual desire to be a positive force for change can make. And that’s, of course, part of the reason Meghan had to go as far as the Cambridges were concerned – she made Kate look really bad. The comparison was not one that was favorable to Kate.

    • Noki says:

      Atleast Melania doesnt even PRETEND to give a damn.

      • JT says:

        @noki that is the one thing that I like about Melania. We all know she hates being First Lady so she does the bare minimum, if that. Kate should do the same to be honest. The Brits are stuck with her as long as William keeps her around.

    • kelleybelle says:

      Trophy wife? She was William’s fifth choice at best.

  3. Seraphina says:

    The sweater in the last pic is a lovely color. That’s all I have as far as the positive.
    And —- I am so sick and tired of the narrative that it’s such a juggle for her to raise the kids and work. First, she has nannies and a slew of domestic help and more importantly ……..she doesn’t work. That’s an insult to us working mothers who do work. Oh yes, I forgot to mention her 24/7 on call therapist for Will – Ma Middleton AKA The William Whisperer.

    • AnnaKist says:

      I might just have wet my knickers… 😂😂😂

    • Lady D says:

      Is she wearing the same sweater in the first picture too, in white?

      • Seraphina says:

        I think so, you ae correct. It looks like the same sweater in a different color.

      • Nic919 says:

        Kate always has multiples of the same item in different or slightly different colours. It’s massively wasteful of course but likely part of the deal so she doesn’t rebel against the cheating.

    • AnneSurely says:

      And you see how they already laid the groundwork for her ‘out. ‘It’s going to be hard with the kids at home to continue with the initiative’. That paves the way for 2 months from now for them to say that it was too much work and of course her kids are her priority. And then 2 months from then when school lets out and it’s summer vacation and then in September, it’s ‘she’s transitioning the kids back into their regular schedule and helping Louis acclimate’ and then it’s her big costume finish at the end of the year with remembrance day, the run up to Christmas and then Christmas day. She’s a pro at this. And will somehow still spend $100k on clothes this year

  4. Rapunzel says:

    Everything she does, she does with a smile … except attending the Commonwealth service.

  5. Keen Kate says:

    “The lockdown has been challenging at times but for Kate it’s given her the gift of more time with her husband.”
    With such busy diaries, they don’t actually get much time together
    So they don’t usually spend much time together? 🤔 But, why not? 🤐

    “Everything she does, she does with a smile and that’s not something you can fake.” LOL!

    “They’ll be relied upon to lift the nation’s spirits and Kate and William have proved they are very good at doing that.” STOP, YOU’RE KILLING ME! 🤣

    2020 was a big year for William and Kate,”
    Seward added. “They emerged from it more popular than ever.” SURE, JAN

    “Kate will want to get straight back to work” Has she ever actually worked a real day in her life?

    Thanks Kaiser for the article and photo selection. 😉

    • AnnaKist says:

      I need to get my eyesight checked. I read… “With such busy ovaries…” 😳 👓
      You can’t fake a smile? I beg to differ. The BRF might have written the book on fake smiles m

      • Emmy Rae says:

        that’s the main thing I always notice about her… the bizarre smile. rarely does it look real. I assume she gives a real smile only in the mirror, when she sees a coatdress collapsing under the weight of buttons

    • L84Tea says:

      “They emerged from it more popular than ever”

      …yeah, if being tone-deaf and incompetent is a poplularity contest, they won for sure!

    • Mac says:

      Yeah, I’ve spent nearly every minute of the past nine months with my husband and we are really getting on each others’s nerves.

  6. VS says:

    “Everything she does, she does with a smile and that’s not something you can fake.” — jeezzzzzzzzzzzz Duchess Melania indeed; another woman with an empty head; how do these people think this is a compliment? as long as she is liked in the UK, I guess that’s what her fellow citizens care about.
    On our side of the world here, the only good thing as far as Melania is concerned, is that she’ll be gone… in 9 days!!!

  7. ABritGuest says:

    Nice photo of Kate & like the waves.

    Busy diaries? Has William or Kate even managed 200+ engagements in a year yet? Reading dribble like this is so insulting to people who do 40+ hour weeks with none of the support the royals have.

    What’s with royal press insisting Kate is now an early years expert & she’s been working on it for 10 years? what is proof of that in the years before she became a full time royal? Incidentally the years they said that Queen was allowing William & Kate time to enjoy their marriage? And is anyone really asking her to be an expert on this issue? Calm down

    • Sofia says:

      I think William has hit 200+ engagements so far but Kate hasn’t. I think this year her numbers were even lower that the Queen. The only people who worked less than her was the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, Princess Alexandra and the Duke of Kent.

      • JT says:

        What is even more absurd is that Kate’s pandemic numbers are pretty much the same as her numbers from the previous years. There was hardly any difference at all which should be a problem, but nobody seems to care.

    • February-Pisces says:

      I counted Kate’s engagements in 2019, the year when Meghan was around and Kate wasn’t on maternity leave or pregnant. I can’t remember the exact number but she took something like 10 months off and that’s being generous because I counted her days working as full days. Considering most of her engagements are probably less than an hour she probably look 11 months off, working the equivalent on one month, if that. That was her being busy.

    • Nic919 says:

      Kate has never crossed 200 engagements since she’s been married. William has but only in the later years when they stopped the pretence of working part time.

      The nonsense about pretending to work on early years for a decade is that up until Phil actually stepped down, we were always told that she and Billy were part time royals which is why their numbers were so bad. Besides anyone with decency would be ashamed if ten years only got you a pathetic survey that would fail an intro to psych course.

      They are going to put lipstick on a pig with this keen nonsense forever because both of them know they can get away with being lazy AF and the UK media will cover for them. They can’t control that the rest of the world sees the obvious difference in work ethic, not only with Meghan, but every other female royal. No one is as lazy as Kate.

      • February-Pisces says:

        I don’t even think her biggest stans believe that she does any work on early years, otherwise we would see them constantly tweet about it. We all know kate adds her meetings onto the CC to bump up her numbers so any behind the scenes work would have been added.

        What are they going to say about Kate in the future? She has no legacy, no story, and not done one thing that has actually captured anyone’s interest besides getting married and having George. No one has ever made the history books because they ‘do the school run’, which she doesn’t even do.

      • Kalana says:

        If Kate really were just someone who wanted to focus on the kids and do the school run, that would not be entirely okay because she lives high on the hog off the taxpayers. But it would still be better than the current situation where she uses her royal position to further her own enjoyment and embiggen herself while putting a ridiculous amount of effort into avoiding giving back.

        Kate’s royal engagements where she’s actually interested are Wimbledon and visiting the set of Downton Abbey or a yacht race. When it comes to actual work, she could just do some bread and butter events and call it a day and it would be fine. Early Years has been a way to pretend she’s doing groundbreaking work which is just about her own ego and helps no one.

        I think Kate believes her way of contributing to the family and to the UK is through her photo-ops. Posing outside the hospital and attending Trooping in a new dress costing thousands of pounds and posing for pictures with her children. Keeping up the image that she and William are fine.

  8. Alexandria says:

    Lol.

    That’s all I got.

    That’s all she’s got.

  9. equality says:

    Difficult to work with the children at home? Hasn’t Louis always been at home? He wasn’t previously in school. So he doesn’t count as needing attention? And “a smile can’t be faked”?

    • Alexandria says:

      That fake smile wording…they’re reading this blog. How many times have we mentioned her cackles and forced concerned faces from Bill and Karen…

    • Becks1 says:

      Also, I will attest that it is difficult to work with children at home. But I live in a 1600 square foot rancher where my “office” is in the same room as my 6 year old’s computer, so I’m sitting through kindergarten every day, lol, and we have no break from the kids. I imagine its different in a country mansion with nannies where the kids can be in a completely separate wing from you for your 3 zoom calls a week. Also, I will attest that it is difficult to work with children at home. But I live in a 1600 square foot rancher where my “office” is in the same room as my 6 year old’s computer, so I’m sitting through kindergarten every day, lol, and we have no break from the kids. I imagine its different in a country mansion with nannies where the kids can be in a completely separate wing from you for your 3 zoom calls a week.

      • Becks1 says:

        LOL sorry for some reason my comment duplicated itself within the comment. Oh Mondays.

      • Wiglet Watcher says:

        There’s also the work of the lady of the house managing it. Like Rose does for HH. Only in a pro Cambridge/Carole article it was stated Kate doesn’t know how to run the household so Carole handles it. Same article with Carole making Will cheese toast or something while he watches tv.
        Kate hasn’t the mental capacity to tackle these everyday tasks. How can you learn something you don’t want to or need.

    • Sojaschnitzel says:

      LOLLOLOLOL @ “Everything she does, she does with a smile and that’s not something you can fake”
      The queen of maniacal weird fake grins cannot fake a smile? *snorts*
      That’s a good one.

    • Zazu says:

      With two nannies, a chef, and a housekeeper, it must be so hard to look after the children AND work you guys! Give Kate just a bit of understanding, she has a top CEO work ethic after all.

      /sarcasm

  10. Becks1 says:

    Their “busy diaries”!?!?!?!?! I’m howling. HOWLING.

    But it does give it away, doesnt it? “they usually are so busy they dont get to see each other, but during the lockdown they are spending more time together.” EVERYONE knows Kate and William arent busy. Kate takes weeks off from royal work, sometimes longer, and William isnt that much better (I think the only reason we see him more is bc Charles and the Queen make him do ceremonies at BP, I dont think its his choice.)

    So in trying to further the narrative of their perfect, super close marriage – we see that they normally do NOT spend a lot of time together and there’s no real excuse for it, except that they dont want to spend a lot of time together.

    Also, does seeing Zoom videos of William and Kate really lift spirits over there in the UK?

    • Sofia says:

      I do half heartedly wonder sometimes if the whole “they’re so busy they can barely see each other” is the reporters way of going “Yes William and Kate barely spend time together but that’s because of their super and totally busy work schedules and absolutely nothing else!!!!! We promise!!!”

      • Ginger says:

        And we all know that’s a lie since 90 year olds work harder than these two.

      • Kalana says:

        William feeds into it too. Remember his comment about spending time with the kids that made him sound like he doesn’t live with them?

      • Couch potato says:

        Unlike most other couples, they work for the same firm, at the same place. They do public engagements together. If they actually lived together they’d see each other much more than most couples.

  11. Harla says:

    I’m shocked, shocked I tell you that Katie and Ingrid managed to write a story about Kate that didn’t include some snarky remark about the Sussex’s and how much their mansion cost!

  12. Harper says:

    So, in summation, Kate is now 39 and the most Seward can say about her is that she is staying at home a lot and when she does do a royal duty, you can count on her to smile.

  13. JT says:

    This year would’ve been the perfect year to roll out the early years, with children across the uk at home, missing out on school, and socializing. She could’ve done some real good right now if this entire initiative wasn’t bullshit busy work, with no real expectation of results. Typical Keen. What I’m more interested in is Kate’s mouthpiece stating, quite plainly, that W&K spend almost no time together except in a pandemic year. No wonder Kate always looks off in those zoom calls with Will, she has never spent this much time with him before. I bet they were only around each other for official events before COVID. I am more convinced than ever that the secrecy around Will’s COVID is because he was living elsewhere and got it. I wonder how long they’ve been living separate lives. Soon after marriage? After Charlotte?

    • sunny says:

      It probably was really hard on their marriage to be together more this year when they don’t spend significant time together.

      As to the rest of it, the constant need to embiggen this lazy woman really is something. She is not, nor ever will be keen about working. She has very limited interests and ability and has not motivation to change. I wish they’d drop the keen angle for these stories.

      • kelleybelle says:

        Yes, limited abilities and interests, but dontcha know, her photography is one of the royal family’s super powers! Every one of these stories is only a huge eye-roll. Five Questions is by now dead in the water I’m sure, and she never did enjoy working. If not for her kids her life would be very sadly empty.

  14. Izzy says:

    They were together in lockdown? Are we still pretending William wasn’t sneaking out to hang out with his mates or trim rose bushes, even back in the earlier months of the pandemic? How did manage to get COVID?

    • HeatherC says:

      If by “together” you mean “in the same general area” such as Norfolk, or somewhere in the same huge house then yeah I guess.

  15. Kitty says:

    Action speak louder than words.

  16. Linda says:

    Happy birthday Kate.

  17. Lizzie says:

    I’m keen to make 2021 the year I stop even reading articles about Waity.

  18. KW says:

    I can’t.

  19. Ginger says:

    Will and Kate’s numbers were no better or worse this year than other years. The other RF members had less numbers due to the pandemic but not Will and Kate. That just proves how pathetic they are.

    Will and Kate are NOT more popular. The world is seeing that they are petty and rude assholes.

    I’m not even going to touch on their sham of a marriage. One look at Kate can tell you how that’s going.

    • Kitty says:

      @GINGER,
      I always assumed they are popular because they have a status and the title. I guess being a royal isn’t worth it as it was 5 years ago?

  20. Kalana says:

    Clarence House picked an unflattering photo of Kate for their birthday wishes,

    Also, Kate is very comfortable with lying about herself for praise, isn’t she? Both William and Kate, instead of trying to do better, just attack others and lie about their own accomplishments. Not very nice or admirable people.

  21. Lillyfromlilooet says:

    Aw people, I’m here for this site in every way but this.

    Happy Birthday Kate and thanks for demonstrating the ways a jacket nipped at the wait is a game changer.

    I’m keen for that extraordinary cashmere sweater she’s wearing, which is no doubt Scottish cashmere, the stuff that my dreams.

  22. Mignionette says:

    I am just amazed that Kate get’s away with doing so little. It’s like does no one care how those millions are spent and especially that $120k ‘work wardrobe’ during a pandemic?

    When the media turn on these two, there will be so much to drag them for.

    Again amazed,

  23. kelleybelle says:

    Just the fact that they have to print this: “You can see Kate’s happy. Everything she does, she does with a smile and that’s not something you can fake,” well, really. They must have read about her overdone facial expressions, much like they read about “this is a vanity project,” (5 Questions) Spare us the manic, phony facial expressions. They’re embarrassing AF. I can’t wait to see her “more work on 5 Questions” because it will never happen. Laughable.

  24. jugebair says:

    Kate is so boring and gah, her style is awful. It hurts my eyes. yawn

  25. Sandra says:

    She’s going to get back to work? Why isn’t she working now while she’s at home? Many of us with office jobs are working from home. And many of us have kids at home right now too. What is she waiting for? Waity Katie for life.

  26. RoyalBlue says:

    when it comes to kate, the reporters always speak of her in a way that other female royals aren’t. me thinks they protest too much. pointing out that you can see she is happy in her marriage is code for, the marriage is in shambles. pointing out that she is really happy and you can see it in her smile is code for she is miserable as f**k. i can’t point to any of Mary, Maxima, Letizia or Victoria or even Mette or the Belgian queen, where an article emphasizes how the marriage is stronger than ever and how keen they are to get started working. all had children and all worked steadily.

    • Becks1 says:

      We get these kinds of articles about her because they are either trolling the royal family, or they are desperately providing the cover that the Cambridges demand – or somewhere in between. I’m not sure if Ingrid Seward is smart enough to troll, but there is definitely an undercurrent to these stories that insist how their marriage is stronger than ever or whatever. You dont need to do that if your marriage IS strong.

  27. K says:

    Wow, how impressive, a 39-year old woman (I’m also one) knows how to make her face go smily. Like, whenever she wants to, when cameras are around! I mean, those are almost-Queen-level skills… God, she is boring and useless.

    • Keen Kate says:

      It’s a trick that she learnt really well, she is treated with coat dresses bursting with buttons for it.

  28. yinyang says:

    Yeah right, quiet tea party on a lavish island

  29. EditorM says:

    Forty-one is harder.