Kate Middleton set to keep her 40th birthday ‘low-key’ for this selfless reason

Kate Middleton might be preparing to mark her 40th birthday this month, but it seems she won’t be enjoying a major celebration for a very selfless reason.

• The Duchess of Cambridge will reportedly have a “scaled down” birthday celebration this year as she turns 40. 
• It’s been suggested that Kate Middleton likely won’t be having a huge party in honor of the occasion given the “current climate”. 
• This royal news comes as the Queen starts 2022 in mourning amid another sad death.

Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge is facing an exciting start to the New Year as she looks ahead to her milestone 40th birthday on 9th January. As a senior member of The Firm and given her self-proclaimed love of photography, it’s thought that a special new Kate Middleton photo could perhaps be released to mark the occasion. For her and Prince William’s children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis’ birthdays the Duchess regularly shares a wonderful new snap each year. 

And given the significance of her own major birthday it could be that the Palace chooses to follow this tradition for Kate. Though the release of a birthday portrait would undoubtedly delight fans, it might be the only glimpse they get of Kate around her big day. 

It’s now been suggested that instead of holding a large party to celebrate turning 40, the selfless Duchess is expected to enjoy a much more “low-key” day.   

According to the Mail on Sunday, a source has claimed that it’s likely any plans for Kate Middleton’s 40th birthday will have been “scaled down”. This is said to be due to the prevalence of the Omicron Variant in the UK currently. 

The source alleged, “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.”

This comes just days after the Queen cancelled her Sandringham Christmas as a “precautionary approach”. As a result, Prince William and Kate Middleton celebrated the festivities at their Norfolk home, Anmer Hall. Seemingly following in Her Majesty's footsteps and setting an example amid Omicron fears, Kate could reportedly choose to celebrate quietly despite the milestone nature of her birthday.

If she does, this would reflect not only the Duchess’ own selflessness, but also mirror that of the Queen who not only changed Christmas plans, but “lead by example” and sat alone at Prince Philip’s funeral.

Meanwhile, in 2021 in the UK’s lockdown, Kate also celebrated her 39th birthday in a “low-key” way, supposedly enjoying a surprise tea party at home with William and their young children.

The Duchess also responded in a typically warm way to the many birthday messages she received. Taking to the Cambridges’ official social media accounts to express her gratitude, the post also reflected on how many people's birthdays have been affected, just as their lives have, by the pandemic. 

‘Thank you for your kind wishes on The Duchess’ birthday. Birthdays have been very different in recent months, and our thoughts continue to be with all those working on the front line at this hugely challenging time', the caption declared.