This year the Princess of Wales publicly marked her birthday in a slightly different way and shared a special video paying tribute to the healing power of winter rather than the usual photo. It was a poignant post, with a serene and reflective feel and behind closed doors, Kate’s celebrations were equally low-key.
We don’t usually know how the royals spend their birthdays in private, but it’s recently been revealed that she spent her 44th having lunch with Carole and Pippa Middleton. The trio are believed to have gone to The Funghi Club and their arrival sent a "little fizz of excitement" throughout the restaurant.
Posting on Facebook, the "teeny Hungerford Bistro" shared they had the "enormous pleasure" of welcoming "the Princess of Wales herself, Berkshire’s very own Kate Middleton, celebrating her 44th birthday, joined by her mother Carole and sister Pippa".
The Funghi Club’s post went on, "No photos to share (you’ll understand why), but the entire team on duty reported the same thing: she was utterly charming, gracious and every bit as radiant in person as you might imagine. The jungle drums of Hungerford didn’t stop beating until well into Saturday. A little moment of magic for our small bistro - and one we won’t forget in a hurry".
Their glowing description of the visit shows that with Kate, what you see at engagements and visits is exactly what you get. A girls’ lunch out sounds like a lovely way to mark her 44th birthday and it’s no wonder the Berkshire-based Princess championed a local establishment.
All of the Middleton children live in the county they grew up in, as do Carole and Michael Middleton, and staying close to home meant that Kate could easily make it back to Forest Lodge for when George, Charlotte and Louis returned from school.
Her birthday was a great opportunity to spend time with her mum and sister too, as juggling a recent house move, kids at school and royal duties likely means her calendar is always pretty full up.
In her first ever interview back in 2018, Carole Middleton explained that her "biggest fear" as her children got older was that she’d lose her family, but they’ve "stayed close". The Royal Family has made sure to include the Middletons in important occasions too, from King Charles’s coronation in 2023 to Queen Elizabeth’s funeral the previous year.
She’s destined to be Queen herself one day, but Kate has never forgotten where she came from and her family plays an influential part in her, William and the children’s lives. The Princess highly values time with her loved ones and for her, birthdays tend to be relatively quiet occasions.
During the pandemic, Prince William, Prince George, Charlotte and Louis reportedly hosted a tea party for Kate at home at Anmer Hall to mark her 39th birthday. Meanwhile, a few years earlier she celebrated turning 37 with a small gathering including her friends Emilia and David Jardine-Paterson and Laura and James Mead.
Even her 40th birthday party was said to be quite minimal and private, with Kate having a small party in Norfolk for friends and family. This is clearly exactly the way she likes it and with such a high-profile work role, who can blame her?
