Prince William and Kate’s Former Staffer Shares Who the Princess Will Spend Her Birthday With This Year
It’s no secret that 2024 was a tough year for a few members of the royal family including the Princess of Wales (formerly known as Kate Middleton).
In January, she had abdominal surgery and while she was recovering and taking time away from the spotlight, wild rumors and conspiracy theories about her health and well-being began to spread. Then, in March, in an effort to silence the noise, Kate was forced to reveal the news that she had cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy. In September, the mother of three shared that she completed her treatments and was focusing on remaining cancer-free.
Now, just over a week after the calendar turned to 2025, the princess will be celebrating her 43rd birthday and someone who used to work with her and Prince William is sharing how that celebration might go.
Ex-aide explains how Kate will likely celebrate her birthday as she moves on from past year
Grant Harrold was King Charles’ butler for seven years. During his time working for the now-monarch, his duties included that of valet, housekeeper, house manager, and driver. He also looked after Prince Harry, Prince William, and Kate whenever they stayed at Highgrove House.
Speaking on behalf of JeffBet, Harrold said: “Kate usually celebrates the day with William and the children. In the past, her parents have spent it with them too, and there will no doubt be a dinner with Charles and Camilla at some point, potentially at Clarence House or Highgrove. Charles may even invite them to Highgrove for a weekend to celebrate Kate’s birthday.”
The former royal butler continued: “I think on the day itself, Kate will either be at their country home Anmer Hall or possibly Kensington Palace. William will make sure there is a nice meal and some gifts and it will be celebrated with the children. There will be lots of little parties going on behind closed doors. It’s not a big milestone for her … [it] will be a low-key family occasion. It’s possible there will be a dinner hosted for her. This was common when I was there. Kate and William might arrange to have a private dinner with some friends.
“Obviously, this is a significant birthday for Kate, last year’s events threw her future into the universe. The fact she’s had a difficult year and now celebrating this birthday, she’ll probably celebrate even more so and look forward to the year ahead for a positive year to come, and towards next year. It’s an important birthday but more on a personal level, last year is likely a year she’ll want to forget and move on from.”
William revealed a bad gift he got for Kate once, so he’ll opt for a more ‘traditional’ present
One thing for sure is that Prince William doesn’t want to repeat the one year he got Kate a present that she didn’t love.
The Prince of Wales admitted on The Peter Crouch Podcast a few years back that one time he gifted the princess a pair of binoculars telling the hosts: “I gave my wife a pair of binoculars once. It was early on in our courtship.”
The future king added that Kate reacted by flashing him a perplexed look wondering why he gave her binoculars. And thinking back, William acknowledged that he had “no idea” why he chose them as a present.
According to Grant, that won’t happen again as this year the prince “will also choose a traditional present. Something like a nice piece of jewelry. Now [that] Kate is returning to royal duties and seems to be doing well, I could see William planning a possible overseas holiday. Something private between the pair.”
