The Princess of Wales celebrated her 44th birthday last Friday. There were several commissioned “birthday exclusives” ahead of her birthday, all about how she’s the most popular “queen in waiting” ever, as all of the commissioned emotional-support polls prove, obviously. Queen Camilla actually got into a snit over Kate’s “I’m almost QUEEN” keenery, which was pretty funny overall. Well, the keenery continues. Hello Magazine put Kate on their cover this week, and the story is the same drivel we’ve heard for fifteen years: sources close to Kate insisting that she’s such a hard worker, all evidence to the contrary, and promising that she will finally get off her ass this year.
As she celebrated her 44th birthday surrounded by her family, the Princess of Wales had many reasons to celebrate. And although she marked the occasion quietly and without fanfare, this year’s milestone felt all the more special. Healthy, happy and energised after a full year in remission from cancer, Kate is approaching the coming year with renewed zest and optimism, and is ready to move on from the most challenging period of her life.
The power of nature is set to feature prominently as she continues her comeback to public life. A royal aide says: “The Princess is excited about exploring what more we can do to harness the power of nature and creativity for human connection, healing and wellbeing – for individuals, families, communities and society.”
Royal author Robert Jobson tells HELLO!: “Birthdays are all milestones and perhaps mean more now that her children are growing up fast, but this doesn’t mean that Catherine feels the need to celebrate with grand gestures. Years ago, when they were dating, William used to take her for romantic meals, but these days it’s different, and they prefer a simple supper at home with family.”
“After everything she has been through, she feels blessed that her treatment is over, and quality time with the children is what matters most. She takes nothing for granted.”
Although she eased herself back into public life in 2025 as she prioritised her health, completing 68 royal engagements compared with 13 in 2024, she is likely to resume a more regular schedule this year, returning to events she missed while focusing on her recovery.
“Last year was survival then recovery mode, picking her moments and pacing herself,” Robert says. “This year, I expect Catherine to carry out more engagements but be selective. Her diary is already filling up, I am told. But she won’t go back to the old pace; she’s learnt that lesson. It will be meaningful, with gaps in between for her family.”
Robert adds: “Catherine has a public role to play in supporting William in his official duties and her own interests, too, but her family and her health come first; everything else is built around that. Running on empty isn’t an option; nor is missing too much time with George, Charlotte and Louis. The days of just powering through are done.”
“…But this doesn’t mean that Catherine feels the need to celebrate with grand gestures…” Well, she doesn’t think Christmas is the time for sentimentality or grand gestures either, which is so weird. And why would Kate be the one making grand gestures on her own birthday? It sounds more like Kate’s husband refused to do anything special for her birthday. “But she won’t go back to the old pace; she’s learnt that lesson” – lol, a snail’s pace. “The days of just powering through are done.” When has she EVER powered through?
PS… Kate’s husband didn’t wish her a happy birthday publicly, which is interesting.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Kensington Palace, Cover Images, covers courtesy of Hello and the Times Magazine.
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- Horse Guards Parade, London, UK. 14th June, 2025. Trooping the Colour, King Charles III’s official Birthday Parade, takes place on Horse Guards Parade with Britain’s oldest Army Regiment, the Coldstream Guards, Trooping the Color (flag) of 2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards this year. Over 1000 officers and men are on parade together with 200 horses and more than 200 military musicians. Image: King Charles III, Queen Camilla and Catherine, Princess of Wales, on the Royal Dais,Image: 1010944551, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: MALCOLM PARK/Avalon
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- King Charles III (centre right) with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (centre left), during the state banquet for the German President and his wife Elke Budenbender, at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, on day one of their state visit to the UK. Picture date: Wednesday December 3, 2025.,Image: 1056322063, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Yui Mok/Avalon
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- Britain’s Catherine, Princess of Wales speaks as she meets healthcare staff with Prince William, Prince of Wales during a visit to Charing Cross Hospital, in London, Britain, January 8, 2026.,Image: 1064283512, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Isabel Infantes/Avalon
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- Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales make a visit to Charing Cross Hospital, in London, Britain, January 8, 2026.,Image: 1064283562, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Isabel Infantes/Avalon
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- King Charles III leads senior members of The Royal Family during Trooping the Colour 2025 Featuring: Catherine Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 17 Jun 2025 Credit: John Rainford/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE UK**
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- The Prince and the Princess of Wales, joint Patrons of NHS Charities Together, speak to a patient in the therapy gym during a visit to Charing Cross Hospital, west London, to highlight the work of NHS staff and volunteers as they respond to the increased demand on services during the winter months Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales, William, Prince of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 08 Jan 2026 Credit: Jonathan Brady/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
Not only does her lazy husband probably refuse to celebrate her birthday but she also has no friends to celebrate her either. KKKate has nothing but her wigs and her pride.
And her tacky lopsided hats and tiaras, apparently.
I wonder what the other school Mums think – do they want to be friends because they like her, because she is going to be queen or do they want to run a mile?I really hope the kids can make some genuine friends at this age, because just maybe the kids are less aware of what being a prince/ss really means. Do you they do a Mums brunch for her?
Remember that great BuzzFeed article that did dude by side comparison of the mail/”press” coverage of the same subjects for Kate and for the Duchess of Sussex?
I would love to see an article taking the various keen on her birthday articles over the years and see the same promises of change and action year after year with no change ever happening.
It’s all just pr fan fiction.
But get a new story, for once!
Yes, that needs to happen!
Grand gestures like the Easter gift she was pissed about not getting from the Sussexes? Another article of steaming horse shit.
This!!! For someone who likes to keep it simple and without grand gestures, she sure gets upset over Easter presents, which aren’t even a thing.
Awwww the crisis team are so much fun ! I am loving all the stories, the push backs, the omg it wasn’t willy willy didnothing’. It’s hilarious and fun. Well done,crisis team
I’m not sure now that the crisis team covers Kate too. This piece sounds the same as previous years, probably from Ma’s new office in FL.
I’m not sure the sirs person has even started. Bc this is same old. We’ll see what changes and whether it includes Kate. Bc really, part of William’s image is his wife and his marriage so I don’t see how anything can be addressed without also addressing her. Better pr messaging for her should theoretically also make him look better. You’d think it would be holistic.
Scooter could still take her out for birthday dinners but chooses not to. Keen has that shampoo commercial about nay cha as this year’s grand gesture and had those,portraits of her distributed a few years ago.
Yes, it surprises me that we never see the Waleses out for a romantic dinner date at a posh London restaurant. Are they afraid of poison, and why don’t they have a royal food taster/tester?
To be fair, I don’t think that photos of them dining alone in a fancy restaurant would help. It would seem performative and out of touch, mostly because they do not seem to enjoy each other’s company.
We have heard about them going down to the local pub for dinner with the kids, because there’s nothing William likes better than cosplaying his own idea of a “normal bloke”.
What old pace are these people talking about? I don’t think Kate has ever done 200 engagements in the year.
She did 150 engagements once since 2011. Only once.
My favorite part is how she won’t go back to her old pace but “it will be meaningful, with gaps in between for her family.” Soooo basically gaps for the many vacations.
I was watching tmz coverage on nick Reiner’s case. That thing is very much parallel to william. Here me out, I think william is struggling with mental health ( serious one) because that much explain his inability to read , or concentrate on anything. I mean most often laziness or lethargy comes from serious mental illness. Because he cant sit through meeting or read for long time is indicates. I think it’s one of the reason why many woman run away because I dont think palace allows william to get good treatment. That’s why he is stuck with kate. Everyone walking on eggshells is the reason. This is the problem with hereditary monarchy because then the entire of his line will be question. That’s why palace micromanaged so much and using Sussex as cover to get public distract. I bet rota knows, it make so much sense towards harry .
Back when the Rose Hanbury rumors first broke, there was a semi anonymous poster on a free blogging site, I can’t remember any details more than that. Anyway, they apparently knew Royal adjacent ppl, and had the tea that Rose leaked to the press herself to teach Kate a lesson.
When they got some notoriety from that, they were majorly anti Sussex, and I remember they wrote a bunch of really specific mental health things (they had the name, it was hereditary and kidney related) they said Harry suffered from. Basically, that he was an idiot who needed a lot of structure and coddling because he was otherwise completely unstable and incompetent. I always thought that was projection about Will, because the described problems would’ve been visible in Harry with how much he’s in public and interacting. Will has his life set up to hide just about anything he wants or needs to.
Yeah anyone who has seen Harry run that obstacle course knows he doesn’t have a physical ailment. lol.
Could very well be about W instead.
Not wishing her a simple “Happy Birthday” says so much about the state of their relationship, a screaming red flag 🚩 things are not what they want the public to believe. I am convinced they have a contractual separation agreement until the children become adults and her lease for the park property was a huge part of the deal.
I remember about 10 years ago keen said she’d be back with a vengeance working. More empty promises.
Isn’t Kate the one who did those confederate style pictures as a gift to the plebs for her birthday one year?
And what happened to putting country & duty first? I thought that was what Harry was slated for when he stepped back to protect his & his family’s mental health? Why isn’t the future Queen held to those standards?
The kids will have moved out & the press will still be making excuses for William & Kate’s laziness. But Meghan, who isn’t accountable to taxpayers, can launch a new company, podcast and tv series in one year will be harassed about not producing another podcast or series quickly enough 😒
Yes are we going to pretend that her photo shoot for her 40th birthday which not only looked silly but those pictures were also going to tour the UK was not a grand gesture?
William also turned 40th months later and he didn’t do any of that.
Just like the nature videos – the only thing she brings to the table is herself. She doesn’t shine a light on any cause, anyone else, or anything. To have her level of celebrity and influence and money and literally do nothing is pathological.
So what I’m getting from this is that William refuses to do anything for Kate’s birthday these days and she and the RRs are desperately trying to convince everyone that that’s totally normal. Kate posts a message to William on fathers day and on his birthday (or someone does) and there’s usually a new-ish picture. And no one on their team can even do that for her?? and pretend its from William? Wow he really hates her.
As for the whole thing about how last year was about “recovery” – she announced in August/September 2024 that she was cancer free. A year ago she announced she was officially in remission. now I dont know the long term effects of chemo or what’s to be expected in her situation, but I feel like she could have done more than 68 engagements. Especially considering she was skiing, swimming, traveling (even posh traveling can be tiring), etc.
But also, Jobson is poking some fun, right? the line about “the days of just powering through are done” – he knows full well kate has never powered through anything a day in her life.
One of the reasons I doubt the cancer story (or at least doubt that what we were told was the complete story) is that its just so convenient – for someone who has never liked working, this gives Kate the perfect excuse for years to come about why she can’t work – she had cancer! It will be 2054 and they’ll still be referencing her cancer as to why she works 6 hours a year as queen. We all knew Charles’ story was true the minute he cancelled events- weeks’ worth of events – since he never cancels events like that. he’s been receiving cancer treatments for two years as opposed to Kate’s 5 months and over those two years, he’s probably worked more than Kate has in the whole of her royal career.
A major reason I’ve doubted the cancer story is Kate’s extensive history of copying – clothes, projects. etc. I’ve lost track of what may be actually true details, that she had some kind of abdominal surgery, and possibly some pre-cancerous cells were found. But there are big question marks about what followed after that, what kind of treatment, if any, for how long, and so on. It’s so convenient that Charles had a problem with cancer at exactly the same time, and IMO it’s a no brainer to suspect that Kate saw an opportunity from his situation to magnify the seriousness of her own condition and has run with it for months. That’s why people have noted a lot of details don’t make sense for someone who had been through what she supposedly went through (e.g., spending time in the sun), and why she hasn’t seemed to have much/any connection to doctors and staff who treated her, etc. Who’s going to dare to correct the story of the oh so brave POW?
It’s not only weird but extremely rude for her not to have specifically thanked her medical team. That’s what makes the whole thing weird because the other royals always do that, including Charles.
Will care about her only in relation to how she makes him look, or how he thinks she makes him look. Beyond that, there’s apparently nothing. And he doesn’t see why she needs acknowledging, which is sad that she accepts that.
My doubts about her health stuff is that there’s just too much that doesn’t make sense, especially with the early days where she was diagnosed and treated at the same time and hospital as the king? And Will doing one visit the whole time she was “there”, while Camilla actually was seen going in and out every day, like a normal person visiting their spouse.
The after treatment behavior was also weird, especially in how…not different she looked. No change in demeanor, no moving slower, not more thoughtful. No genuine emotions in public, still.
I hope Natasha Archer explains the behind the scenes stuff some day. She might’ve been the one that did the birthday posts for Kate before, and now that she’s gone there’s no one that actually cares to pick up that chore (which it’s just like to social media posts?).
Several people in my life have suffered with cancer and I can tell you each and every one of them changed after. They slowed down, started living more authentic lives, were grateful for those around them and the time they had. But guess what? Every single one of them had to get up and go to work. Every single one of them had to deal with the side effects of chemo while raising kids (no nannies or staff to help) and working 50 hour weeks.
The fact that Charles got up and thanked his medical team, and tried to raise awareness for Cancer but K didn’t is beyond odd. You would think, even if it was all BS – she would at least Fake it? Right? Like even if you do not give a flying fart, at least post a message on social media saying something right? Like she didn’t even have to do it. Her comms team could do it! It is so bizarre! I am not trying to dump on her for having cancer. That is horrible. But if she didn’t and lied about it – then why not keep up the lie? Why not at least thank your fake doctors? If she DID have cancer, then wouldn’t she be super motivated to thank the people who saved her life? It is just baffling.
To be fair, she did thank her medical team a year ago…when she scheduled that hospital visit the day before Meghan’s show was to premiere. Believe that was when she recommended the healing power of sunlight.
At least this is a (very) slight improvement over last year’s almost universal line out of KP, that “you won’t see Kate much in 2025 because cancer and tiny little children, you monsters.” Even KP had backed away from being full-throated about that one, by February. This year, it doesn’t seem like too many are pushing really hard on the “new normal because cancer” line, although they’re all still mentioning cancer, and they all will until she dies in her nineties, and Jobson is here to give it an airing although, yes, even he seems a little tongue-in-cheek.
Hilarious! But if William had posted a bday message we would get talking points about how they are now more vocal about their relationship. Haha.
Yeah there’s so stuff going on behind the scenes because why does William get celebrated for every occasion and Kate gets skipped for her bday and Mother’s Day lolz
Also I posted before but her Christmas carol flopped. It didn’t make the top 50 for the week it was on. It did the years before even with declining ratings last year.
https://www.barb.co.uk/viewing-data/as-viewed-top-50/
Big red warning lights are flashing in KP no matter what the rota are saying
Ah, I have sort of missed the big January birthday promise to be keen! Sure, maybe this year will be different from the past fifteen years!
Kate is malingering. And trotting out the sad old “oh I didn’t want anything anyway” b.s. as to why her husband didn’t do anything for her birthday.
The only answer to any of these stories now is b**** we have eyes.
Guys it’s right there:
“quality time with THE CHILDREN is what matters MOST”. (not “family” or “William and the children”. = I’m done with him.)
“Catherine has a public role to play in SUPPORTING Wm in his OFFICIAL DUTIES and her own interests” (Not supporting William generally, the official ones, and also her OWN interests = I’m done.)
“The days of just powering through are done.” ( = I’m done with ALL this “)
I think we’re all but screaming separation.