No Kate Middleton Birthday Acknowledgement Dubbed ‘a Comment Without a Comment’ From Her and Prince William Amid ‘Spare’ Release
TL;DR:
- Kate Middleton turned 41 on Jan. 9, 2023, one day before the official release of Prince Harry’s Spare memoir.
- Prince William nor Kate Middleton marked the occasion publicly.
- According to a commentator, they left a “gaping hole” on their social media accounts by not acknowledging Kate Middleton’s birthday.
No Kate Middleton birthday post for 2023. On Jan. 9, one day before Prince Harry’s Spare memoir officially dropped, the Princess of Wales turned 41. Unlike previous birthdays, however, she and Prince William didn’t mark the milestone publicly. Instead, the day passed with what commentators called a “gaping hole” on the couple’s social media accounts and a “comment without a comment.”
King Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles were the only senior royals to publicly mark Kate Middleton’s birthday on Jan. 9
Birthdays are often marked with a flurry of social media posts — and possibly new photos — from members of the British royal family. But that wasn’t the case on Kate’s birthday, Jan. 9.
The day she turned 41, she and the Prince of Wales stayed silent on Instagram and Twitter. There was no acknowledgment via a happy birthday post or new photos as the couple’s done in years past.
Instead, the day passed as details from the Duke of Sussex’s memoir were revealed, and Harry promoted the tome with a series of interviews.
The only royals to publicly acknowledge Kate’s birthday were King Charles III and Camilla Parker Bowles. They tweeted a simple, “Wishing The Princess of Wales a very Happy Birthday today!” alongside a cake emoji and a photo of Kate accepting flowers from a little girl during a September 2022 visit to Wales.
Prince William and Kate Middleton left a ‘gaping hole’ on their social media accounts by not marking Kate’s birthday, commentator says
On the Jan. 12 episode of the Royally Obsessed podcast, hosts Roberta Fiorito and Rachel Bowie talked about William and Kate not acknowledging Kate’s birthday. They said the mother of three got “lost in the shuffle” as details from Spare were revealed.
“[What was] shocking to me, there were no new pictures, no acknowledgment from the Prince and Princess of Wales on any of their social media platforms — Twitter, Instagram — I thought that was kind of a gaping hole,” Bowie said.
“It was almost like a comment without a comment and suggesting that maybe they really are reflecting,” she added.
In the days prior to Kate’s birthday, reports on leaked Spare excerpts detailed Harry’s claims about William pushing him to the floor and the flower girl dress drama.
“It’s definitely not a week with business as usual,” the podcast host continued. “We saw King Charles III and Queen Camilla share a picture from Kate’s first visit to Wales on their Twitter account — that was very status quo. But other than that, it was crickets.”
William and Kate made their first public appearance since ‘Spare’ on Jan. 12
A Jan. 12 visit to a hospital in Liverpool, England, marked William and Kate’s first public appearance since Harry’s Spare book launch. Not only was it their first time out and about amid the memoir’s release, but it also marked the couple’s first official appearance in 2023.
The parents of three posed for selfies, met with hospital support staff, toured the new facilities, and kept quiet when reporters asked about Spare. Although a body language expert said their movements subtly hinted at a response to Harry’s memoir.
