The Duchess of Cambridge’s big 40th birthday is on Sunday. We’ve heard several different versions of Kate’s “birthday plans.” Simply going from memory, Kate rarely throws a big birthday party or marks the day in any huge, public way. Sometimes, she spends her birthday on vacation, sometimes it’s just a small family party in Norfolk, sometimes it’s a dinner in London. I wasn’t expecting Kate to change it up for her 40th, but I guess some people were expecting that, especially given the fact that the Duchess of Sussex did the 40X40 mentorship challenge for her 40th, along with a cute video featuring Melissa McCarthy. That was never going to be Kate’s vibe. But sure, Kate is “rolling back” her birthday plans because of the Omicron variant:
Next Sunday will be a landmark birthday for the Duchess of Cambridge. But the celebrations for Kate’s 40th birthday will be muted – like her Christmas – due to the Covid risk, The Mail on Sunday understands.
Instead of a big party, the Duchess is expected to have a much smaller affair with just family and close friends. Kensington Palace will mark the milestone occasion by releasing a new picture of the Duchess, who is herself a keen photographer.
Kate and William – who on Friday unveiled a photograph of themselves on the way to last year’s James Bond premiere to coincide with New Year’s Eve – missed out on the traditional Royal Family Christmas celebrations after the Queen was forced to cancel her plans to host the festivities at Sandringham.
Due to fears of the Omicron Covid variant, a smaller lunch was held at Windsor Castle while the Cambridges hosted Kate’s family at Anmer Hall, their country retreat on the Sandringham estate
A source said: ‘There are likely to be low-key celebrations for the Duchess. She didn’t want anything flashy anyway – that’s not exactly her thing – but particularly given the current climate anything is likely to be scaled down.’
My guess is that the Middletons simply never left Anmer Hall. I think Carole and Michael went to Anmer in December and they plan on staying through mid-January at least. Maybe Carole with organize something special for her favorite child. I’d also like to note… William and Kate were perfectly capable of changing their Christmas plans to prioritize seeing the Queen on Christmas. They chose not to. I don’t disagree with their choice – they have small kids, of course they wanted a quiet holiday in their family home – but people should remember the Keens’ choice when trying to lay a guilt trip on Harry and Meghan for “not coming back for the Queen.” Remember that Will and Kate couldn’t be bothered.
Also: “She didn’t want anything flashy anyway – that’s not exactly her thing…” Ah, yes. Kate’s “thing” is to launch a weeks-long Embiggening At Forty campaign in which every media outlet is forced into trying to fluff up her non-existent accomplishments.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instar.
So many over the top articles telling readers she won’t have a big party.
psst……shhhh…..it’s a secret. Kate is low key and not flashy at all. She wouldn’t want anyone to know that she has no plans for her 40th birthday (all of the articles are written in invisible ink to prove this point)….. I have feeling Kate is doing something but whatever it is the RP don’t like so they are trying to prepare the public for a KeencopyKate 40th Birthday. Everyone please take note: When William becomes King the guest list at Anmer Hall will become the slim down RF. William chose the Middletons over The Queen (let that sink in)
I have one word Andrew. I bet she is cursing him for distracting from her birthday week. With the way people feel right now about the RF, including the usually untouchable queen, Kate has no choice but to stay muted.
LOL. “She did not want anything flashy, it’s not her thing.”
That’s funny after the episodes of her wearing red and taking attention off the performers at the concerts hitting chords, wearing that gold gown and making the Premiere about herself, and then the outfit at Philip’s funeral.
If I had a pound for everytime I hear that she does not want attention while making everything about her, I’ll be a millionaire. The public are sick to the back teeth of them right now. They will go through some things when the queen goes.
Kate is so low-key that instead of just skipping the big party, she has to put out press leaks on how she is skipping the big party. After all, there’s no point in skipping a big party if you don’t get media coverage of the fact that you’re skipping a big party!
Does she have enough people that would come to a big party?
Thanks for saying this. I feel the same way. The reason she has never had a big birthday party is she has no friends. And the other British uppercrust who she would want to invite can’t stand her. So who would come.
You can’t have a big party with just 6 Middletons/in-laws and Sophie Wessex anyway.
“She didn’t want anything flashy anyway—that’s not exactly her thing”
~says the woman in a flashy gold dress
LOL….shhh….Jais…they didn’t think you would remember that dress or all the occasions she literally flashed the world
And the only woman, buy some quirk of fate, who wore bright red to a Christmas concert. She was surrounded by folks wearing different shades of mud.
Reminds me of an old blind item about an actress who had in her contract she would be the only blond. I think it was Meg Ryan. Keen ordered no one else could wear red or any bright color.
And yet most of the women still impressed more with their fashion than she did.
Sigh. I don’t know why the Palace handlers/reporters don’t save themselves a shedload of time and have a sign printed up that says “Ref Kate. Don’t expect anything”.
Don’t expect her to work – she’s still coming into her own
Don’t expect her to speak – she’s an introvert
Don’t expect her to have flashy party – she’s not you know who with celebrity (or any) friends
Since when did Mumbles McMutton consider the dangerousness of the coronavirus? Certainly not during the dreadful choo-choo “Charm” tour. Or visiting the site of Sarah Everard with the police coming in just after her paying “respects”, as a woman who has walked the streets of London as a woman, just to put herself seen as someone who “cares” deeply about the peasants. Or the fact that they all traveled to Jordan a few months ago!! Which according to People magazine was once home for the Meddling when she was a child for 2 years. I am certain that there are many other examples.
Oh yes, Mumbles McMutton is VERY concerned about the coronavirus!!
My gawd!! The spin that they are putting on with regards to skipping the opportunity to NOT visit TQ at Christmas due to it being not held at Sandringham. Apparently had TQ held the festivities at Sandringham that the Lambridges would have attended?
Lies, lies, lies and more lies just for good measure!!
I came to say something similar. At most, FFQ doesn’t want to deal with the bad optics of throwing a big party during the Age of Omicron, but she treats covid otherwise like a mild inconvenience.
I can’t get over them repeatedly insisting that Kate isn’t “flashy.” In addition to the countless times she’s demanded attention (regardless of how inappropriate), it’s like a glaring reference to the many times she’s flashed her bits before the world. I see you, rota.
These articles about how great, generous, thoughtful, shy, useless and lame this woman is are just getting sadder and more hilarious all at once. They miss Duchess Meghan so much that they are taking her template and comparing it to Duchess Lazy.
You know that those fools are weeping into their hot beer over fumbling the bag with the Sussex leaving Shutter Island forever.
It will be her and William at opposite ends of an enormous dining room table, not speaking, he will be texting about rose buses under the table and she will be desperately trying to get his attention. Carole will be flitting around the dining room, asking if William wants breastfeeding as his second mother and Mr MIddles will be on his knees giving the children horse rides in another room. how very depressing.
LOL
Why the constant need to remind people that Kate likes photography? Sophie, Philip, and Harry have also snapped photos without the constant need to remind people.
Isn’t that hilarious? Every single blasted time somebody mentions a photo–she likes photography! She’s an accomplished photographer! Remember, she got that degree in art history! She’s so creative & accomplished! But not flashy. No, not flashy!
If Kate wasn’t flashy, she would have never worn that gold dress to the Bond Premiere or played piano at the carol concert.
She has nothing left to flash, she has already shown us all her treasures even though it was un queen like and none of us wanted to see it
After the flashy expensive Christmas party to celebrate her.
So she’s not doing something because of COVID restrictions, like the rest of us sensible people. She doesn’t get a cookie for not hosting a superspreader event.
How can Kate ever have a big party when she has no bosom friends?
Lol! No party, because no one is planning to throw one for her!
I wonder what special, thoughtful piece of jewelry “William” has ordered to mark Kate’s milestone birthday.
*I say this as someone who would never, ever want my partner to pick out jewelry for me, but then I don’t put out a story saying that he “designed” it for me or that it was a surprise etc.
Still no one really cares what Keen does or doesn’t do on her birthday. She is so irrelevant she’s almost invisible.
Outside of immediate family, I’m not sure they could pull off a 40 party.Do they have friends? I mean now that Rose is gone!
Plenty of royals on the ski slopes of Europe at the moment.
Maybe something in Austria…