The Duchess of Cambridge celebrates her 40th birthday in 2022.
A discreet birthday party for the Duchess of Cambridge is set to take place on Jan. 9, when she turns 40.
On the occasion of the duchess’s birthday, Kensington Palace unveiled three new portraits of her.
Photographer Paolo Roversi took the images in November in Kew Gardens, and they will be added to the National Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection. The images of Kate will be presented over the next year at three locations having “particular value” to her, as per the palace, as part of the gallery’s “Coming Home” project.
Berkshire, where Kate was born and reared by her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, will host an exhibit of her photos, as will St. Andrews, where she first met Prince William, and Anglesey, where Kate and William spent their honeymoon.
In the new year, the fresh photos of Kate come as she looks to be refocusing on her royal duties.
Since her wedding to Prince William at Westminster Abbey over 11 years ago, Kate has turned out to be the most beloved member of the British royal family.
Kate has also taken on a more prominent position in the royal family as a result of familial developments in recent years.
Since a short hospitalization in October, Queen Elizabeth II has reduced the number of public appearances she makes at 95 years old. There are now just two working royals in their generation, Prince William and Kate, after Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan stepped down as senior working royals.
According to ABC News royal contributor Victoria Murphy, Kate’s increased public image has been a “major transition” for her, who was thrown into the public limelight when she began dating William while in college.
“I think her desire to do a good job, be liked by the public and respected by the family was palpable in the beginning, and she was clearly very nervous when the spotlight was on her over public speaking,” said Murphy. “She built up her workload very gradually, taking on only a small number of patronages initially and taking time before making solo appearances and speeches.”
“But over the years, Kate has grown hugely in confidence, and is now a driving force behind how she and William work and the causes they take on,” she said.
Murphy claims that it was Kate who came up with the idea to emphasize mental health as a cause, which resulted in the very robust Heads Together campaign, which was launched in 2016 and still continues to be a focal point of Kate and William’s work to this day.
Murphy believes the public should expect to see Kate develop even more in her job as she focuses on topics important to her heart as she and William prepare to one day become king and queen consort.
“I’ve always thought that Kate is a team player, cool-headed, and a good listener and that these things have stood her in good stead over the year,” said Murphy. “I think she also very much has the ability to compartmentalize, as it has been said the queen does, which is an important quality in handling the pressures of the public role.”
In the eight years since she became a mother, Kate has dedicated herself to helping new parents and their children.
On January 1, 2020, Kate launched a countrywide poll to find out what the people of the United Kingdom believe about rearing children, with an emphasis on children under the age of 5.
