How Kate Middleton Is Spending Her 42nd Birthday Weekend — Tea Parties, Country Life and Family

Kate Middleton is getting ready for her birthday!

The Princess of Wales will turn 42 on Tuesday and is likely to celebrate this weekend surrounded by family and friends, including her husband Prince William and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Although Princess Kate’s birthday is usually a private and low-key event, we do know a few details about how she has been celebrated over the years.

While the Prince and Princess of Wales are based in Windsor (after moving their primary residence there from London in 2022), Kate is likely to spend her birthday at their Norfolk country house, Anmer Hall. Located about 180 miles north of London, Anmer Hall was a gift from Queen Elizabeth for the royal couple’s wedding in 2011 and is said to be where Kate feels most at home. The family of five often escapes there during school holidays, weekends and holidays. Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, are currently on school break around Christmas, which is why Prince William and Princess Kate haven’t stepped out on royal duty in 2024 yet.

Kate Middleton with her family on Christmas Day 2023 at Sandringham.

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Prince William, 41, and Princess Kate often take a weekend at the beginning of the year to entertain their family and friends for a few days of filming and other country activities. The guest list previously included Kate’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, William’s lifelong friend Tom van Straubenzee and his wife Lucy Lanigan-O’Keeffe, James Meade and his wife Laura, neighbor and longtime friend Sophie Snuggs and her husband Robert.

Before she died in 2022, Queen Elizabeth also hosted them for dinner at Sandringham House.

Over the past birthday weekend, Kate and William were seen attending mass at St Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, where the royal family recently celebrated Christmas.

In 2021, Kate was treated to a birthday tea party hosted by her husband and children at Anmer Hall. Luckily, Prince William knows exactly how to make the perfect mug.

“At the end of the day, she’s in training to be a future queen, but honestly, you’d never know it,” a source close to Kate told PEOPLE. “If you go to her house you’ll get a cup of tea, and it’s often made by William! It’s a lovely, welcoming house, not a fancy stuffy palace by any means.”

Prince William and Kate Middleton in November 2023.

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Princess Kate marked her 40th birthday in 2022 by sharing three new portraits worthy of the future queen. The images were taken by photographer Paolo Roversi and became part of the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery, of which Kate is a patron.

Last year, King Charles and Queen Camilla celebrated Princess Kate by wishing her a happy birthday on social media with a thoughtful photo selection. They chose a picture of Kate during her first visit to Wales with Prince William after they were named Prince and Princess of Wales last year. In the footage, Kate smiled as she received a bouquet from 2-year-old Charlotte Bunting, who was wearing a traditional Welsh costume.

“Today I wish the Princess of Wales a happy birthday!” the king and queen team captioned the snap with a birthday cake emoji.

Princess Kate has also received well wishes from military groups and charities she patronises.

Kate Middleton at the Christmas concert on December 8, 2023.

Chris Jackson/Getty

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Westminster Abbey in London (where Kate married William in April 2011) is set to ring its bells on Tuesday in honor of the royal birthday.

Although Westminster Abbey was known for ringing the birthdays of many senior members of the royal family, the tradition has changed due to the financial problems associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Before 2020, the bells marked the birthdays of 12 royal families. Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and their four children – then-current King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward – all received the honour, as did Charles’ wife Camilla. Prince William, Kate and their three children completed the list.

In 2024, the bells will ring for the birthdays of the four oldest members of the royal family: Princess Kate on January 9, Prince William on June 21, Queen Camilla on July 17 and King Charles on November 14. It will also ring on June 15 for Trooping the Colour, the King’s public birthday celebrations as well as other royal occasions such as the coronation anniversary on May 6.

Kate Middleton in June 2023.

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Like other royal wives in history, Princess Kate has a firmness behind the scenes as she supports her husband and future King William.

“She has a public image of being pretty and smiling and, dare I say it, harmless,” royal author Valentine Low recently told PEOPLE. “But she’s actually strong-minded, strong-willed and ready to fight for what she wants and what she thinks is right.”

“She was seen as a central player in the Windsor team,” added Simon Lewis, co-host of the BBC podcast When It hits the fan.

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Source: HIS Education