Kate Middleton is turning 40 and will enjoy "low-key" celebrations to mark the milestone birthday.
The Duchess of Cambridge, whose birthday is January 9, has likely been forced to water down festivities as a result of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 spreading rapidly throughout the UK.
While there are no lockdown restrictions in London, the ongoing threat of the virus means the royals likely won't want to risk throwing a big party.
Royal expert Jonathan Sacerdoti claimed the mother-of-three's birthday would be "quite scaled back".
"Here in the UK, the numbers are back up again," he told Us Weekly.
"There's no lockdown in place, but [there's] some resistance to big gatherings. It's something that people just maybe don't think is the best thing to do.
"So even for a big, important birthday, like her 40th, and even being who she is, she's choosing perhaps to do something lower key. So [as] to set a good example."
The Duchess of Cambridge will likely spend a low-key birthday with her family. Photo / Kensington Palace
Sacerdoti noted how differently Kate's 40th would be compared to her sister-in-law, Meghan Markle, who hit the milestone age last August.
To honour her big day, Meghan released a comedic charitable campaign video, which saw her speaking with US actress Melissa McCarthy as she plugged her 40x40 initiative.
The campaign encouraged women to take 40 minutes to mentor other women who had suffered setbacks in their career as a result of the pandemic.
"We saw how Meghan conducted herself for her 40th," Sacerdoti said. "Meghan, of course, did that video where she had her new, let's say initiative, announced where she was trying to help people or to get back into work after many people had lost their jobs with Covid through mentoring.
"I don't think we'll be seeing anything similar from Princess Catherine. I think that we'll be seeing something a lot lower key is what we've been told."
Last year, the duchess spent her 39th birthday having a quiet day at home with her husband, Prince William, and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
She said her kids gifted her with "handmade birthday gifts and flowers" which were picked from their garden.
As is usually its annual tradition, Kensington Palace is likely to release a never-before-seen portrait of Kate to honour her on her birthday.
