Why Kate Middleton and Prince William could have a 'joint' birthday party this summer

Prince William and Kate Middleton could host a 'joint' birthday party this summer, a royal expert has revealed. 

• Kate Middleton is expected to have a 'joint birthday' with Prince William in the summertime, to properly celebrate her upcoming 40th. 
• The Duchess of Cambridge turns the milestone age on Sunday, 9 January, but will be unable to mark the occasion with a bang due to rising Covid cases across the UK. 
• In other royal news, Kate Middleton birthday heartbreak revealed—‘with that single decision, Kate's life was turned upside down’.
  

The Duchess of Cambridge will likely have a 'joint' party with Prince William in the summer, to make up for the 'scaled-down' celebrations planned for her 40th birthday this weekend.

Kate, who turns the milestone age on 9 January, is expected to have a small gathering with friends and family at home in Kensington Palace on Sunday in light of rising Covid cases across the UK. It's hoped that she will be able to properly mark the special occasion a little later in the year, when it's safer to do so. 

“I think it will be lowkey this weekend," royal expert Ingrid Seward told the Royal Beat, before predicting that the festivities will be rescheduled for the summer. "Probably after the Platinum Jubilee celebrations are over—she and William, whose birthday is on June 21st, will have a joint party and really celebrate then.”

Prince William will mark his own 40th on the summer solstice, meaning there will be plenty of daylight hours for the couple to celebrate. With the Platinum Jubilee 2022 to mark the Queen's 70 years on the throne well behind them by that stage, they should also have a lot more time on their hands to plan. 

As for Sunday's festivities, it's understood that Kate will keep the shindig as 'low-key' as possible. "She didn’t want anything flashy anyway, that’s not exactly her thing, but particularly given the current climate anything is likely to be scaled down," royal author Duncan Larcombe said. 

Like the rest of us, Kate is no stranger to having a pandemic birthday. The doting mother rang in her 39th in lockdown last year too, spending the day at home with her three kids and husband. She also took the opportunity to make a public statement, sending a sweet message on her social media to thank NHS frontline staff for their efforts over this challenging time.