Kate Middleton will have a 44th birthday celebration fit for a princess this week.
The Princess of Wales turns 44 on January 9 and the palace is planning to celebrate in style, with former royal butler Grant Harrold telling Heart Bingo it’s likely the King will host a dinner party for his daughter-in-law.
“All royal birthdays are celebrated in some shape and form, even if the birthdays aren’t big celebrations,” he told the publication.
“When I worked for the King, he would certainly have a private dinner. It wouldn’t be a big family gathering, it’d just be a private dinner.
“I can almost guarantee that the King will still host a birthday party for his daughter-in-law,” he continued. “It’s possible that it will be on the actual day of the birthday, unless William’s got something private arranged.
“There’ll be a celebration, and food-wise, she will be eating some of the things that she likes.”
Grant also said Kate might receive a “silly” present from the royal family, as they’re known for giving each other gag gifts to bring a bit of frivolity to the big occasions in their lives.
The former royal butler also said it’s likely Prince William will give his wife a piece of jewellery or something for their new home Forest Lodge, the eight-bedroom mansion on the grounds of Windsor that they moved into at the end of last year.
As for the King and Queen, Grant believes they might present their daughter-in-law with a priceless family heirloom to celebrate the day.
“It could be a hand-me-down from his mother. It could be something from his private collection of things that he likes to give family members… things that are sentimental to him,” he explained.
“When he was Prince of Wales, he would give things that had the insignia on them, depending on who it was. It’s possible that he could do something like that.”
Kate’s birthday celebration is likely to be even more poignant this year after the mum-of-three gradually returned to royal duties last year after completing chemotherapy for an undisclosed form of cancer.
At the end of 2024, she said that while she “must continue to take each day as it comes,” she was planning to ease back into her royal duties.
“Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long, and I must continue to take each day as it comes,” she said in an Instagram video at the time.
“I am, however, looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months when I can.”
She made her first public appearance at the Trooping of Colours in December 2024 and slowly resumed her normal duties in 2025.
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